Special Town Meeting Restores $335,000 to School Budget-August 29, 1978

Heeding urgent warnings from school officials that classrooms could not open safely without the funds, a special town meeting last night voted by clear voice votes to restore $335,000 of the $618,000 cut from the $11.3 million school budget during the June annual town meeting. The approval comes just eight days before the scheduled start of the school year.

Having previously accepted $283,000 of the initial June cuts, the School Committee sought only the remaining balance last night, drawing the funds from the town’s newly certified $1.5 million free cash fund—despite assessors forecasting a minimum $5 tax hike last week.

Breakdown of Restored Funds

Presented across three distinct articles at the Junior High South auditorium with 140 of the 280 town meeting members in attendance, the approved funding restored:

• $45,089 for Administrative Salaries: Covering $25,596 for a principal’s salary, $17,000 in secretarial pay, and roughly $1,000 in salary adjustments for the music and athletic directors.
• $275,611 for Instructional Salaries: Restoring the remainder after the committee previously absorbed $100,000 in instructional cuts (which included reductions to substitutes, tutors, art and reading instruction, and driver education).
• $15,046 for New Equipment: Primarily designated for new printing equipment at Junior High North.

In non-school business, the meeting also appropriated $87,024 for unpaid municipal bills and $42,000 for the town’s data processing program.

Compromise, Promises, and Continuing Fallout

During the debate, School Committee member Rudith M. Berkowitz, who spearheaded internal compromise efforts, acknowledged past missteps and committed to future fiscal restraint. Prompted by District 5 Town Meeting member Edmund G. Linehan, Berkowitz gave firm assurances—joking, “I would give you my word in blood”—that the committee would close an under-enrolled school in 1979 and would not return to seek additional funds this year barring an emergency.

While the Finance Commission offered no opposition during the session—choosing to remain silent after previously recommending indefinite postponement—the financial relief did not quell all political friction:

• Taxpayer Lawsuit Withdrawn:Richard T. King, president of the Norwood Teachers’ Association, announced he would recommend dropping a 10-taxpayer lawsuit filed to restore the budget now that the schools have their needed funding.
• Recall Drive Unaltered:John Hayes, leader of the upcoming September 5 recall election targeting three school committee members who originally opposed the cuts, stated that the special town meeting’s vote would not halt the recall. “I think they approved the funds because the school opening is so close,” Hayes remarked. “The general electorate may feel differently.”

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