School Committee Voted to Cut Budget-July 13, 1978

In a contentious meeting held on the evening of July 12, 1978, the Norwood School Committee officially voted to reduce the school budget by $618,000, responding to mandates following a recent town meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Philip O. Coakley, citing an opinion from Town Counsel Justin C. Barton, advised the committee that they could not legally spend funds they did not possess and could not wait for potential court intervention to resolve the shortfall. Despite this, Coakley stated he would “never approve of the cuts,” arguing that the reduction would undermine the organization plan the committee had approved in April. Committee member Mrs. Berkowitz, who spearheaded the reduction efforts, defended the proposal as a necessary fiscal response, while member Richard W. Kief supported the move and suggested the committee consider eliminating the position of the superintendent entirely to maximize savings.

The approved budget cuts included $100,000 in teacher salaries, $19,723 for elementary textbook replacements, and several other reductions across maintenance, utility, and equipment accounts. Kief, along with other committee members, faced a recall drive by some town meeting members for their role in failing to support the town meeting mandate, leading to heated exchanges during the proceedings. Parents and representatives from the Norwood Teachers Association and the Willett School PTA voiced strong opposition, with one parent, Terry Hansberry, expressing shock at the committee’s willingness to diminish facilities for students. Despite the outcry, the committee moved forward, tasking Coakley with preparing a detailed breakdown of the cuts to present to the Norwood Finance Commission (FinCom).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger