AI summaries of public meetings, sourced from MHTV. Also browse by topic. AI may misread audio — each card links back to the source video.
Select Board
Select Board directs staff to draft Coffin School RFP; hears Recreation & Parks open-space pitch
The Select Board discussed the future redevelopment of the former Coffin School property and directed Planning Director Brendan Callahan to draft an RFP for review at the first August meeting, with criteria emphasizing affordable/senior/workforce housing and open-space preserv...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health holds first five-member meeting, votes on fowl permit and trash barrel refund
The newly expanded five-member Board of Health held its inaugural meeting, discussing organizational structure, meeting schedules, and priorities drawn from the CALM community health survey. The board voted to approve a fowl permit for 18 Stony Brook Road and a $60 refund for ...
Select Board
Select Board approves $555K year-end transfers, extends North Shore Medical lease to 2033
The Marblehead Select Board held its June 24, 2026 meeting, approving year-end transfers totaling $555,631 and a reserve fund transfer of $287,658 for snow and ice overtime. The board also unanimously extended the North Shore Medical Center lease for three additional years, ra...
School Committee
School Committee sets superintendent's year-two salary at $221,450 and approves ten policy updates
The Marblehead School Committee met on June 22nd and voted unanimously to amend the superintendent's contract, setting his FY27 salary at $221,450, a 3% increase consistent with other educators and administrators. The committee then approved ten school policy updates, includin...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves $160/month business curbside trash pickup; automated cart rollout questions dominate meeting
The Marblehead Board of Health held its reorganization meeting, re-electing Tom Massaro as chair, then spent the majority of the session fielding public questions about the transition to automated curbside cart collection beginning July 1 under a new contract with Republic Ser...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reorganizes, approves $731K budget transfers and auditorium naming
The Marblehead School Committee met June 11, 2026, electing Kate McCaffrey as chair and Melissa Goulas as vice chair for the coming year. The committee approved approximately $731,000 in budget transfers to cover out-of-district special education tuitions, approved a Disney Wo...
School Committee
School Committee goals subcommittee reviews strategic planning and educator voice goals
The Marblehead School Committee goals subcommittee met on June 10th to assess progress on two goals: strategic planning and elevating educator voices. Members discussed drafting a statement clarifying the division of responsibilities between the school committee and administra...
Select Board
Select Board reorganizes after election; override passes; board pledges accountability
At its first meeting following the annual town election, the Select Board unanimously appointed Moses Grader as vice chair and seated newly elected member Rosanna Ferrante. Board members acknowledged the passage of the Prop 2½ override and committed to quarterly financial upda...
Select Board
Select Board approves $5.43M Mary Alley building contract; bids farewell to Alexa Singer
The Marblehead Select Board approved a $5,430,435 construction contract with Campbell Construction Group for the Mary Alley building HVAC, windows, and fire suppression project, within the $5,750,000 town meeting appropriation. The board also approved several event permits, a ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health discusses curbside bin rollout and swap shed upgrade needs
The Board of Health meeting on May 26 featured a presentation by Gretchen, the volunteer coordinator of the Marblehead Transfer Station Swap Shop, who described operational challenges and the need for a permanent swap shed structure. The board and director held an extended pub...
School Committee
School Committee approves override proclamation supporting Tier 3 ($8.5M school side)
The Marblehead School Committee voted 4-0 to issue a proclamation officially supporting the Tier 3 level of the proposed FY27–FY29 Prop 2½ override, which provides $8.5 million on the school side. The committee also voted to opt out of school choice, approved school improvemen...
Select Board
Marblehead Select Board approves Red Lantern and Village Liquors license transfers; hears sewer rate update
The Select Board held public hearings approving a new liquor and entertainment license for Red Lantern at 165 Pleasant Street and a package store license transfer for Village Liquors at 22 Bessom Street. DPW Director Amy McHugh presented a 10-year sewer budget outlook showing ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health advances curbside cart rollout ahead of June 9 override vote
The Board of Health held its regular meeting, receiving detailed updates on the upcoming curbside trash and recycling cart program set to launch in June, with delivery of approximately 8,000 barrel sets to eligible residential units. Staff outlined opt-out procedures, enforcem...
Town Meeting
Marblehead Town Meeting approves Prop 2½ override on June ballot, 1,227–159
The 2026 Marblehead Annual Town Meeting, attended by approximately 1,200 residents, passed Article 29, placing a three-tier Proposition 2½ general override on the June 9th ballot by a vote of 1,227 to 159. The meeting also approved the FY2027 operating budget of approximately ...
School Committee
School Committee votes 4-1 to recommend indefinitely postponing Article 28 supplemental appropriation
The Marblehead School Committee met April 30, 2026 and acted on several town meeting warrant articles, voting unanimously to recommend indefinitely postponing Articles 25, 26, and 27 (capital and technology needs) and voting 4-1 to recommend indefinitely postponing Article 28 ...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee recommends three-tier Prop 2½ override up to $4.3M in year one
The Marblehead Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend a three-tier Proposition 2½ override article for town meeting, authorizing up to $4.3 million in year-one appropriations across tiers ranging from $9M to $15M over three years. The committee also voted 7–2 to reco...
Board of Health
Board of Health sets curbside collection fee at $290.76/year, adopts new cart regulations
The Marblehead Board of Health held a public hearing and adopted new curbside collection regulations governing cart use, placement, and opt-out procedures for an upcoming program launching July 1. The board set the annual fee at $290.76 per eligible unit (based on 6% projected...
Select Board
Approved $24.9M GO bond sale to Oppenheimer
The Select Board approved the sale of $24,975,000 in general obligation bonds to Oppenheimer Co. at a price of $26,402,202. Funds cover roads, sidewalks, the high school roof and HVAC, Mary Alley HVAC and ADA improvements, Abbot Public Library renovations, the Mary Alley roof,...
School Committee
School Committee communication subcommittee reviews draft budget-and-override newsletter
The two-member communication subcommittee reviewed a draft informational newsletter covering the school budget, district trends, and override ballot mechanics, targeting a send date of April 28. Members discussed verifying budget figures and FTE counts with the superintendent ...
Select Board
Select Board approves 3-tier override ($9M/$12M/$15M) and MOU with schools
The Marblehead Select Board reviewed a three-tier Prop 2½ override proposal with tiers at $9 million, $12 million, and $15 million over three years, then voted 3-0 (one recusal) to approve the tiered override structure. The board also unanimously approved a memorandum of under...
School Committee
Facilities subcommittee votes to recommend indefinite postponement of school capital warrant article
The Marblehead School Committee Facilities Subcommittee met on April 16, 2025 and voted 2-0 to recommend that the full school committee indefinitely postpone the school department's capital expenditure warrant article at town meeting, deferring instead to the Prop 2½ override ...
School Committee
Pre-meeting informal conversation captured before session began
The transcript consists entirely of informal pre-meeting conversation among board members discussing personal topics such as Easter travel, family, and church attendance. No official business, votes, or decisions were recorded. The meeting's formal proceedings do not appear to...
Board of Health
Board of Health hosts DA Tucker, Chief King, and Superintendent on youth mental health
The Marblehead Board of Health convened a public forum on April 14 focused on youth mental health, underage drinking, and interagency collaboration, featuring Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, Police Chief Dennis King, and Superintendent John Robidoux. DA Tucker outl...
School Committee
School Committee approves $47.6M FY27 budget with $3.1M in cuts, votes three-tier override framework
The Marblehead School Committee unanimously approved a reduced FY27 budget of approximately $47.6 million, representing a $3.1 million reduction from the current year through position eliminations and use of revolving accounts. The committee also voted 4-0 to endorse a three-t...
School Committee
Student-led Magic Coalition presents; FY27 budget cut $3.16M; override tiers and tri-board MOU approved
A routine three-hour committee meeting: recognitions, a financial update, a student presentation from the Magic Coalition, a Portugal field-trip approval, the line-by-line FY27 budget vote ($47.62M, down $3.16M with 22 positions reduced), the school side of the tri-board overr...
Select Board
Three-tier override sized at $9M / $12M / $15M; tri-board MOU pledges no second override until FY30
The board sized the FY27 override at three tiers ($9M / $12M / $15M) plus a separate $2.3M trash question, and previewed a tri-board MOU that pledges no further override until FY2030. The FY27 warrant was approved in bulk (holds on Articles 19, 29, 34), and the Essex Tech asse...
Finance Committee
FinCom approves $122.8M FY27 budget at warrant hearing amid $7.2M deficit
Marblehead's Finance Committee held its annual warrant article hearing, voting recommendations on Articles 1 through 40 of the town meeting warrant. The committee approved a $122,762,030 operating budget for FY27, reflecting a $7.2 million deficit addressed through layoffs of ...
School Committee
Marblehead school roof project subcommittee reviews controls, meeting notes, and Procore access
The subcommittee met to discuss the high school roof replacement project, covering HVAC controls issues across the district, the ceiling procurement timeline under Chapter 30B bidding, and concerns about the formality and detail of contractor meeting notes. Members discussed g...
School Committee
School Committee approves $47.6M FY27 budget and joins joint override planning
The Marblehead School Committee voted 5-0 to approve a $47,620,287 FY27 operating budget, which includes a $462,000 health-insurance buffer as recommended by the town CFO and Finance Committee. The budget subcommittee presented two competing numbers — one with and one without ...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves balanced FY27 budgets; library warned it will close by December without override
The Marblehead Finance Committee held budget review sessions for the Assessors, Recreation & Parks, Abbott Public Library, Cemetery Commission, Town Clerk/Elections, and Schools for FY27. The library director stated the $857,633 budget—down roughly $700,000 from the level-serv...
Select Board
Select Board votes to pursue multi-tier, multi-year override to close $7.7M budget gap
The Marblehead Select Board voted on March 25, 2026 to direct the town administrator to develop a multi-tier, multi-year override framework structured around three levels of service funding — restore, stabilize, and invest — plus a separate question on whether to fund curbside...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves FY27 budgets and outlines curbside trash fee structure
The Board of Health approved the FY27 health department budget of $339,320 (a 4.07% increase) and the waste department operating budget of $3,215,611, plus $114,600 for landfill monitoring. The waste director presented detailed cost breakdowns for a proposed curbside collectio...
School Committee
School committee debates disputed $1.5M additional cut request amid FY27 budget standoff
The Marblehead School Committee met March 19, 2026, and heard public comment urging the board to resist further budget cuts. The board's finance director presented analysis suggesting the town's $1.5 million additional cut request may be overstated by roughly $250,000–$750,000...
Select Board
Select Board approves FY27 department budgets totaling ~$59M amid deep service cuts
The Marblehead Select Board held its FY27 budget hearings on March 17, reviewing department budgets under the board's purview. The budget is built on two key assumptions: implementation of a trash collection fee generating just over $2 million in new revenue, and an additional...
School Committee
School Facilities Subcommittee reviews capital requests, tree plantings, and Eveleth site future
The Marblehead School Committee Facilities Subcommittee met on March 16, 2025, approving meeting minutes and discussing three main topics: FY27 capital requests (with a $1 million town request likely tied to an override scenario), tree-planting proposals from the town tree war...
School Committee
School Committee votes 5-0 to direct superintendent to reconcile FY27 benefit cost figures with town finance director
The Marblehead School Committee held a joint working session on March 12, 2026 with Select Board Chair Dan Fox and Finance Committee Chair Alec Crosby to examine the FY27 town-wide budget deficit. FinCom Chair Crosby presented a spreadsheet analysis showing a $7.7 million town...
Select Board
Select board directs staff to develop multi-tier override scenarios ahead of March 19 budget vote
The Marblehead Select Board reviewed FY27 budget scenarios and directed Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer to develop a matrix of override options ranging from a one-year restorative override to multi-year invest/stabilize tiers. The board discussed but did not formally vote on...
School Committee
School Committee holds FY27 budget vote pending verified health-insurance data behind $1.5M cut ask
The Marblehead School Committee met to discuss the FY27 budget after the town requested approximately $1.5 million in additional reductions on top of roughly $2.6 million already cut, largely attributed to projected increases in employee health-insurance costs. Committee membe...
Board of Health
Board of Health votes to enter contract with Republic Services for curbside trash and recycling
The Marblehead Board of Health met on March 5, 2026 and voted unanimously to move forward with Republic Services for a new five-year curbside collection, disposal, and recycling processing contract beginning July 1. The board also approved three change orders totaling approxim...
Select Board
Select Board reviews FY27 budget scenarios; 56 positions at risk under Scenario A
The Select Board reviewed two FY27 budget scenarios on March 4, 2026. Scenario A would require $7.7 million in cuts and defund six departments, eliminating 56 positions. Scenario B pairs a proposed ~$2 million curbside trash fee with an additional $1.5 million reduction reques...
Finance Committee
FinCom hears health-insurance briefing; votes to hold all budget hearings on March 28
The Finance Committee received a presentation from PEC consultants Danielle Chalik and Sue Shalu on market forces driving up health-insurance costs, including Marblehead's claims-to-premium loss ratio of 114% in FY24 and 119% through April of FY25. Consultants noted that GIC r...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY27 budget public hearing with calls for Prop 2½ override
The Marblehead School Committee convened a public budget hearing on the FY27 level-funded proposed budget, fielding testimony from teachers, parents, and residents who urged greater funding and a Proposition 2½ override. School administrators explained that the district has no...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY27 budget public hearing on level-funded $49.1M proposal
The Marblehead School Committee convened a public hearing on Superintendent John Ferrero's proposed FY27 budget of $49,120,285, equal to the current year appropriation. To reach that level-funded number, the district outlined approximately 9.75 teacher FTE reductions across mu...
Select Board
Select board appoints police captain, delegates snow-emergency authority, reviews budget timeline
The Marblehead Select Board approved the promotion of Jonathan Lund to Captain of the Marblehead Police Department after an 11-month acting assignment and a civil service examination process. The board voted to delegate snow-emergency declaration authority to the Town Administ...
School Committee
Marblehead schools propose level-funded FY27 budget with 14.75 FTE reductions
Superintendent Roberto and Assistant Superintendent of Finance Mike Ling presented a proposed FY27 budget of $49,122,850 — the same appropriation as FY26 — as directed by the town. To achieve level funding, the district identified approximately $2.56 million in cuts and revenu...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves transfer station change orders; curbside trash contract cost increase flagged
The Marblehead Board of Health reviewed results of the CALM community wellness survey, which drew 2,550 responses out of 16,792 invitations, revealing high community concern about teen substance use and bullying. The board approved three change orders for the ongoing transfer ...
Select Board
Select Board approves $55,000 fireworks contract, discusses resident survey platform
The Marblehead Select Board held its January 28, 2026 meeting, approving a $55,000 contract with Pyrotechnico Fireworks for the July 4th display and extending the Hobbs House (Marblehead Counseling Center) lease through February 2031 at $7,488 annually. The board also discusse...
Select Board
Select Board declares snow emergency through January 30 to allow snow removal
The Select Board held an emergency virtual meeting on January 26, 2026 to declare a snow emergency running through Friday, January 30 at 7:00 AM. The declaration enables the DPW to remove accumulated snow from the business district, historic district, school crosswalks, and th...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves 15 town-meeting warrant articles amid $1.7M level-funded budget gap
The school committee approved 11 revolving-fund reauthorizations and 3 of 4 placeholder capital warrant articles for the annual town meeting, tabling the 'school department capital needs' article pending clarification. The superintendent and CFO reported that meeting a level-f...
Select Board
Select Board denies Thomas Circle tree removal; continues Mary Alley tree hearing to March
The Marblehead Select Board held two public shade tree hearings on January 14, 2026. It unanimously denied a request to remove a linden tree at 2 Thomas Circle, deferring to the tree warden's recommendation. A separate hearing on removing three pine trees near the Mary Alley b...
Board of Health
Board approves $5,276 transfer station drain change order; reviews wellness survey and flu/vaccine updates
The Marblehead Board of Health met January 13 and approved a $5,276 change order to add a catch basin at the transfer station construction project. The board received updates on the community wellness survey (approximately 1,600 responses, 15% response rate), flu activity data...
Select Board
Select Board approves five contracts and school copier lease to open 2026
At its January 7, 2026 meeting, the Marblehead Select Board approved five contracts totaling approximately $571,000, covering Gary School Playground Phase 2, a DPW overhead door, window replacements at 66 Cliff Ave, and Waterside Cemetery expansion. The board also approved the...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee budget subcommittee reviews FY27 gap of ~$879K after offsets
The Marblehead School Committee budget subcommittee met January 5, 2026 to review the FY27 school budget planning process. Administration reported a $1.7 million gap between level-service and level-funded budgets, which through vacancies, revolving-fund offsets, and operationa...
School Committee
Teacher alleges retaliation for anti-semitism speech; lead-teacher grievance heard in open session
A Marblehead Veterans Middle School English teacher and her attorney presented a Step 3 grievance in open session, alleging her lead-teacher stipend was split in half approximately one month after she publicly spoke about antisemitism at the ICAN Summit in June 2024. The teach...
Select Board
Marblehead Select Board reviews projected $7M FY27 budget gap amid rising benefit costs
The Select Board received a three-year revenue and expense forecast showing an estimated $7 million structural deficit for FY27, growing to approximately $15 million by FY29, driven largely by health insurance increases projected at 15–17%, pension obligations, a roughly 50% j...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews FY budget with large waste-contract cost increases
The December 9 Board of Health meeting featured a presentation on comparative international healthcare systems as a preview of a proposed community 'mini MPH' educational program. The health director presented draft FY budgets for both the health department and waste departmen...
School Committee
School committee reveals 5-1 vote approving start-time settlement with MEA
The Marblehead School Committee disclosed in open session that it had voted 5-1 in executive session on November 20, 2025 to approve a settlement agreement with the Marblehead Education Association, returning middle and high school start and end times to 2024-25 levels. A memb...
Select Board
Select Board adopts single uniform tax rate for FY2026; rate drops to approximately $8.60 per thousand
The Marblehead Select Board held its annual tax classification hearing for FY2026, receiving a presentation from Assessor John Kelly and Assistant Assessor Todd Laramie. The Board of Assessors recommended against adopting a residential exemption, small commercial exemption, or...
School Committee (Budget Subcommittee)
Budget Subcommittee suggests shared facilities services with town and a permanent building committee
Nearly two-hour Budget Subcommittee meeting. Asst Supt Pfifferling presented a detailed FY26 budget breakdown by department and role, confirming SPED is ~25% of total salary (aligned with 20-23% enrollment), administrative costs are ~10% total ("no areas for administrative red...
Select Board
Select Board approves $8.97M Homer Contracting deal for MHS roof/HVAC project
The Select Board convened a brief special meeting, appointing a chair pro tem in the absence of the chair. A school official presented the results of a competitive bid process for the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC project, with the lowest qualified bid from Homer Contra...
Board of Health
Board of Health discusses underage drinking enforcement gap; approves transfer station curbing change
The Marblehead Board of Health met November 24 and heard a detailed statement from a board member on the lack of enforcement of social hosting and underage drinking laws, noting no fines have been issued under the relevant bylaw since 2017. The board unanimously agreed the cha...
School Committee
School committee awards $8.97M MHS roof/HVAC contract, $2.1M under budget
The Marblehead School Committee approved a contract with Homer Contracting Inc. of Arlington for the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC project at $8,970,000, approximately $2,120,000 under the $11,090,000 budget. The committee also approved two student field trips, accepted...
Select Board
Select Board approves $1M interest-free MWRA water bond and multiple contracts
The Marblehead Select Board met on November 19, 2025, approving a $1 million interest-free MWRA water bond, multiple building and infrastructure contracts totaling over $500,000, and shellfish constable appointments. The board received a presentation on a municipal energy redu...
School Committee
School Committee communications subcommittee approves first monthly newsletter for distribution
The Marblehead School Committee communications subcommittee met and reviewed a draft monthly community newsletter covering committee activities, subcommittee updates, and key dates. Members voted to forward the newsletter to the district superintendent (referred to as John) fo...
School Committee
School committee approves 4 goals, authorizes ZBA application for Piper Field lights
The Marblehead School Committee reviewed an updated financial report showing approximately $3.34 million in unexpended balance through October, approved a New York City performing arts field trip for January 2026, and read the superintendent's annual evaluation into the record...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee facilities subcommittee explores early-education center at E School site
The subcommittee met to discuss a potential early-education feasibility study focused on the vacant E School building, considering uses ranging from expanded public pre-K to an 18-to-22 transition program. The group agreed the next step is a short community survey to gauge dem...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves superintendent evaluation, discusses FY26 goals
The School Committee voted 5–0 to approve the annual evaluation of Superintendent John Rabadu for the period ending October 2025. The committee then met with the superintendent to discuss and refine his goals for the upcoming cycle, focusing on student achievement and growth, ...
School Committee
Budget Subcommittee directs level-service budgets; $1.7M mid-year SPED correction restores ~$1M to district
A nearly three-hour School Committee meeting two weeks after the Budget Subcommittee's zero-based budgeting request. The Asst Supt moved $1.7M in out-of-district special-education tuition from the local budget to the circuit-breaker account (a mid-year correction that restores...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee completes draft superintendent evaluation, rated proficient
The School Committee held a working session to collaboratively draft the formal evaluation of Superintendent John Roberto for a period running approximately from July 2024 through fall 2025. Committee members discussed ratings for three goal areas — professional practice, stud...
Board of Health
Board of Health votes to dissolve Mental Health Task Force, pursue state behavioral-health grant
The Marblehead Board of Health voted to discontinue the Marblehead Mental Health Task Force and transition its work to a new entity called Marblehead Cares, affiliated with the Marblehead Counseling Center. The board also agreed to pursue a Tier A behavioral-health promotion g...
School Committee
Policy subcommittee advances MASC-recommended revisions to school committee
The Marblehead School Committee policy subcommittee met on October 23rd and approved forwarding five minor MASC policy updates to the full school committee as consent agenda items and five additional policy revisions — including purchasing and procurement threshold changes — a...
Select Board
Select Board hears FY27 revenue warning; OPEB liability falls to $142M
The Marblehead Select Board received an FY27 revenue forecast projecting approximately $514,000 less available for operations than the prior year, driven by declining local receipts, lower investment earnings, and cost pressures including a projected 14% health-insurance incre...
School Committee (Budget Subcommittee)
Committee requests zero-based budgeting analysis; methodology meeting set for Oct 28
Two-hour joint Budget Subcommittee meeting (School Committee + Finance Committee). Committee requested a zero-based budgeting approach examining staffing needs by building against enrollment projections; the Superintendent committed to school-by-school breakdowns with a method...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves four policy revisions, hears superintendent goal progress
The Marblehead School Committee approved four policy changes recommended by MASC, including revisions to public comment policy, electronic messaging guidelines, and member compensation language, and rescinded a membership policy. The committee also received the superintendent'...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews community survey progress, trash contract options, and flu season
The Board of Health met to discuss a community wellness survey with approximately 1,400 responses received in its first two weeks, noting low response rates among residents aged 18–39. Members reviewed three options for a new curbside trash and recycling collection contract, w...
School Committee
School Committee communication subcommittee reviews outreach tools and email strategy
Two subcommittee members met to assess existing school committee communication channels, finding limited email distribution and a minimal social media presence. They discussed pursuing an email newsletter platform (such as Mailchimp, estimated at $10–$15/month or free tier), r...
Select Board
Board awards $1.59M transfer station construction contract, approves salt and building fund transfers
The Select Board met on October 9, 2025 and approved a $1,590,000 contract with D. Lewis Brothers Construction for transfer station redesign and construction work including a new scale house and site improvements. The board also authorized a $36,000 reserve fund transfer for H...
School Committee
MHS building subcommittee reviews roof restoration bid schedule and construction estimates
The Marblehead High School building project subcommittee met on October 9th to review construction cost estimates, bidding documents, and roof system options. Two independent estimators placed construction costs just under the $11 million control budget, with an alternate roof...
School Committee
Policy subcommittee approves B-series revisions and advances middle-school pathway draft
The Marblehead School Committee Policy Subcommittee met on Zoom and approved minutes from August 28, 2025. Members reviewed and recommended a batch of B-series policy revisions—mostly minor wording updates—for full committee action, and voted to advance a new draft middle-scho...
Board of Health
Board of Health awards $1.59M transfer station contract, previews new curbside trash system
The Marblehead Board of Health approved a $1,590,000 contract to Dele Brothers Construction of Lynn for transfer station site work including a new scale house, paving, curbing, and a concrete pad. The board also received a detailed briefing on upcoming curbside trash and recyc...
Select Board
Board approves florist wine license, Mary Alley roof contract at $839K
The Select Board held a public hearing and unanimously approved a new wine and malt beverage package store license for Floris Mantilla at 164 Washington Street. The board also awarded a $839,000 roof replacement contract for the Mary Alley Community Center, well below the $1.2...
School Committee
Marblehead School roof/HVAC subcommittee holds inaugural meeting, reviews bid timeline
The newly formed Marblehead School Committee roof subcommittee held its first meeting, with members introducing themselves and reviewing the project timeline prepared by owner's project manager Leftfield and architect RDA. The subcommittee discussed the bidding schedule, HVAC ...
School Committee
School committee votes to limit subcommittees to elected members only, removing public participation
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular meeting on September 18, 2025, welcoming new member Melissa Lucas. The committee received enrollment, fiscal year 2025 financial, and anti-discrimination committee updates, then approved a slate of consent-agenda items including...
Select Board
Joint meeting appoints Melissa Lucas to vacant School Committee seat
The Select Board and School Committee held a joint session to fill the seat vacated by a departing member, interviewing four candidates before voting unanimously to appoint Melissa Lucas, a CFO with 18 years of finance experience. The board also adopted a zero-emissions vehicl...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves sympathy statement for teen death, votes to add clerk and pursue mental-health app
The Marblehead Board of Health opened its September 9 meeting with a discussion of the August 19 death of 13-year-old Savannah Gacho, unanimously approving a formal sympathy statement and outlining a community response framework centered on mental health and substance use. The...
School Committee
School facilities subcommittee reviews MHS roof bid process and summer 2025 facility projects
The Marblehead School Committee Facilities Subcommittee met to discuss the MHS roof/HVAC project procurement timeline, with bids to be released October 8 and general contractor bids due October 30. The committee also received a school-by-school recap of summer 2025 facilities ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves MHS roof advisory panel and votes to enter executive session
The Marblehead School Committee met on September 4, 2025, approving five community members to an advisory committee for the MHS roof project, an overnight boys varsity ice hockey trip to Lake Placid on December 12–13, and a student survey and research policy by a 3-to-1 vote. ...
School Committee
School Committee policy subcommittee maps out multi-month MASC policy update process
The Marblehead School Committee Policy Subcommittee met to review pending MASC-recommended policy changes, cataloguing items into minor edits, substantive edits, and new policies. Members agreed to redline minor edits and bring them forward for a vote, while referring substant...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves handbook consent updates, bullying plan; enters executive session on bargaining and litigation
The Marblehead School Committee met on August 21, 2025, approving updates to student-family handbooks related to parental consent for surveys under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and adopting an updated bullying intervention and prevention plan. The committee also v...
Select Board
Board appoints two Conservation Commission members, approves Marine Corps 250th event at Fort Sewell
The Marblehead Select Board appointed Allison Fry and Brandon Collins to the Conservation Commission with three-year terms expiring June 2028, and appointed Allison Jenkins as the town's first dedicated Chief Procurement Officer. The board approved use of Fort Sewell on August...
Board of Health
Board of Health reviews Republic Services strike, plans September public meeting on new trash contract RFP
The Board of Health met on August 13 and received an extended update on the now seven-week Republic Services curbside collection strike, with the director noting that curbside recycling pickup could resume as early as the following Monday pending confirmation that school colle...
School Committee
School Committee declares vacant seat, creates high school roof subcommittee
The Marblehead School Committee opened its brief public session by voting unanimously to declare the seat vacated by Brian Ott's resignation. The committee then debated committee structure for the high school roof project before voting unanimously to establish a school committ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds summer retreat covering goals, governance, and legal training
The Marblehead School Committee held an all-day summer retreat facilitated by a MASC field director and a MASC attorney. The session covered review of the prior year's three goals, goal-setting for the upcoming year, and an extended legal training on conflict of interest, open...
School Committee
School committee appoints Basta as secretary 3-1, flags ~$550K in grants tied to 3A zoning
The Marblehead School Committee held its July meeting with member Brian Oda's seat vacated due to relocation. The committee voted 3-1 to appoint Henry Basta as secretary and approved a schedule of bills totaling approximately $1.28 million, along with a $2,500-per-school donat...
School Committee
Capital Facilities Committee reviews high school roof/HVAC project and summer building work
The Marblehead Capital Facilities Committee met July 24, 2025 to receive an update on the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC replacement project, which remains in design with bidding anticipated for October and contract award targeted around mid-November. The committee also ...
Select Board
Joint ambulance contract with Swampscott and Beauport approved unanimously; Beauport service begins August 15
Short 50-minute meeting dominated by a single substantive item: a joint ambulance services contract with Swampscott and Beauport Ambulance Services that consolidates EMS across the two towns under a five-year arrangement with a 6-month opt-out and a 5% annual profit donation t...
Board of Health
Board of Health updates on Republic Services strike response; votes to create two associate chair roles
The Marblehead Board of Health held its July 22 meeting focused on the ongoing Republic Services trash collection strike, now entering its fourth week. Health Department Director Andrew reported two contractor trucks remain in service, the Transfer Station is handling roughly ...
Board of Health
Board of Health hears detailed update on day 10 of Republic Services trash strike
The Marblehead Board of Health held its July 10, 2025 meeting focused heavily on the ongoing Republic Services/Teamsters strike, now in its 10th day, which has disrupted curbside trash and recycling collection. Director Andrew McMahon described transfer station operations, rec...
Select Board
Board approves MHS roof contract amendments; discusses 3A non-compliance grant losses
The Select Board approved contract amendments for the Marblehead High School roof/HVAC replacement project, increasing the Left Field project management contract by $369,937 and the Raymond Design Associates designer contract by $752,200. The Town Administrator reported that t...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reorganizes, elects Al Williams chair; approves roof/HVAC contract amendments
The newly constituted Marblehead School Committee held its post-election reorganization on July 2, 2025, electing Al Williams as chair and Kate Pepper as vice chair over outgoing chair Jen Schaffer. The committee approved amended contracts with Left Field (OPM) and Raymond Des...
Select Board
Select Board approves July 4th fireworks, housing committee merger, and annual reappointments
The Marblehead Select Board held its June 25, 2025 meeting, approving the annual Harbor Illumination and fireworks display for July 4th with an 8:45 PM illumination start and 9:00 PM fireworks. The board received updates on stormwater MS4 compliance, a public health assessment...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reorganizes, elects new chair, discusses mental health and transfer station issues
The Board of Health held its reorganization meeting, electing Thomas Massaro as chair. The board discussed a community health survey in partnership with UMass Boston, a proposed debt-exclusion override to fund mental health services for youth at the Marblehead Counseling Cente...
Select Board
Dan Fox elected Select Board chair; routine licensing and tree removal approved
At the June 11, 2025 meeting — the 377th annual convening — the Select Board unanimously elected Dan Fox as chair for the upcoming year. The board approved a tree removal request at 344 Ocean Avenue, a manager license change for the Corinthian Yacht Club, early voting hours fo...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves K-12 science curriculum overhaul for FY26
The school committee held its June 5 meeting, approving a comprehensive K-12 science curriculum update estimated at approximately $200,000, which was already included in the FY26 budget. The committee also approved a series of MASC policy updates, heard a detailed Youth Risk S...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves assistant waste director hire and transfer station construction rebid
The Marblehead Board of Health voted unanimously to reinstate the assistant waste director position, funded through the commercial waste revolving fund at no direct cost to taxpayers. The board also approved moving forward with a scaled-down transfer station construction proje...
Select Board
Select Board renews Town Administrator Keer's contract; approves MWRA loan and multiple grants
The Marblehead Select Board approved a new three-year employment contract for Town Administrator Thatcher Keer following an executive session. The board also approved a $198,750 interest-free MWRA water bond, accepted a $50,000 gift from Marblehead Youth Baseball for LED light...
Select Board
Select Board unanimously sets July 8 special election on MBTA zoning Article 23
The Select Board held a brief special meeting to open and close a warrant calling a special town election for July 8, 2025. Voters will be asked to affirm or repeal the town meeting vote adopting MBTA Communities zoning overlay districts under Article 23. Public commenters urg...
Select Board
Select Board approves polling location changes and multiple contracts at May 14 meeting
The Select Board approved moving four precincts' polling locations to the Marblehead High School Field House for the June 10, 2025 annual town election. The board also approved several contracts including a geothermal evaluation for Abbott Hall, roof design for Mary Alley and ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves UMass Boston health assessment contract and landfill monitoring agreement
The Board of Health approved a contract with UMass Boston's Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging to conduct a community health assessment, funded through private donations and small grants with no tax dollars. The board also approved a multi-year landfill monito...
Town Meeting
Town meeting Night 4: Recall bylaw fails; stormwater fund, police age limit approved
On the final night of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting, voters approved creating a stormwater enterprise fund (266–118), eliminated the age-31 hiring cap for police officers (375–14), and shifted authority to set building and electrical permit fees to the Select Board after public...
Town Meeting
Marblehead Annual Town Meeting Night 3 approves $119.5M budget, ADU bylaw update
Town meeting approved a $119,479,480 operating budget for fiscal year 2026, including school, public safety, enterprise funds, and three collective bargaining agreements for police, fire, and municipal employees. Amendments to the accessory dwelling unit zoning bylaw that woul...
Town Meeting
Town meeting approves MBTA 3A zoning compliance 951–759 after defeating two postponement motions
Marblehead's 376th Annual Town Meeting, held at the Marblehead High School Field House on two consecutive nights, took up MBTA Communities Act (Chapter 40A Section 3A) zoning compliance as its first substantive article after voters approved reordering the warrant. Two subsidia...
School Committee
School committee approves flag/banner policy 4-1, authorizes Piper Field lighting application
The Marblehead School Committee voted 4 to 1 to adopt policy IMDB governing display of flags and banners on school property, adding 'staff' alongside 'students' in the final wording before passage. The committee also unanimously authorized the superintendent to apply to the Pl...
Finance Committee
FinCom votes on unpaid bills, tables Mary Alley HVAC bond, flags free cash shortfall
The Finance Committee held its second public warrant hearing, voting unanimously to recommend $28,668.72 for unpaid FY24 accounts and to indefinitely postpone Article 35. The committee received a detailed presentation on a $6,230,000 Mary Alley building renovation (HVAC, roof,...
Board of Health
Board of Health adopts synthetic cannabinoid ban and updated body art regulations
The Marblehead Board of Health held public hearings and voted unanimously to adopt a local regulation prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or distribution of synthetic cannabinoids, enabling tobacco control enforcement agents to inspect retail establishments. The board also adop...
Select Board
Board approves $4.9M bond anticipation note and Mary Alley HVAC study at $5.75M ask
The Select Board approved the sale of approximately $4.9 million in general obligation bond anticipation notes at 4% interest, rolling over existing debt and adding new borrowing for road, sidewalk, and fire station roof projects. The board also received a feasibility presenta...
School Committee
School Committee advances flag/banner policy to third reading with planned additions
The Marblehead School Committee held a second reading of a proposed flag and banner display policy, agreeing to add language clarifying the policy does not apply to student artwork, sports banners, or personal items, and to recognize heritage months. The committee voted unanim...
Select Board
Select Board approves rail trail contracts, library sign, and entertainment licenses
The Marblehead Select Board approved a change order extending the Rail Trail Swamp Scott Branch early construction project deadline to October 30, 2025, and approved entertainment and liquor licenses for Eastern Yacht Club and Marblehead Arts Association. The board authorized ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health endorses sexual assault awareness proclamation, reviews transfer station upgrades
The Board of Health voted to join the Select Board in proclaiming April 2025 Sexual Assault Awareness Month, then received a detailed transfer station update covering a new compactor installation, a recycling routing change due to Greenworks' $25 million facility upgrade, and ...
Finance Committee
Marblehead FinCom endorses MBTA 3A zoning, school roof debt exclusion, and FY26 balanced budget
The Finance Committee held its 2025 annual warrant hearing, reviewing all 52 articles on the May town meeting warrant. The committee voted 8-1 to recommend adoption of the MBTA Communities Act (3A) multifamily overlay zoning article, reversing the town meeting outcome from las...
School Committee
School committee advances flag-display policy draft amid public debate; antisemitism investigation results reported
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular April meeting, featuring student presentations from Veterans Middle School, extensive public comment on a proposed flag-display policy, and an overview of an independent antisemitism investigation that found most allegations uns...
Select Board
Select Board appoints Jim Maher to Water & Sewer Commission; approves Verizon cable renewal
The Select Board and Water & Sewer Commission jointly interviewed three candidates and unanimously appointed Jim Maher to fill the vacancy left by a deceased commissioner. The board also approved a five-year cable television renewal license with Verizon New England, including ...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves library and Recreation & Parks FY26 budgets
The Marblehead Finance Committee held its second of three full budget hearing nights, reviewing and voting on the Abbot Public Library and Recreation & Parks FY26 budgets. The library budget of $1,493,292 was approved unanimously, representing an increase of approximately $109...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves FY26 budgets with cuts amid $1.7M town shortfall
The Board of Health approved a waste department budget of approximately $2,943,402 and a health department budget of $326,041 for FY26, both reduced from prior-year requests due to a town-wide budget shortfall of $1.7 million. The board also received a briefing on H5N1 avian i...
School Committee
School committee votes 4-0 to approve $49.1M FY26 budget; flag policy sent back to subcommittee
The Marblehead School Committee approved the FY26 school district operating budget at approximately $49,120,285 and referred the proposed flags-and-banners policy back to the policy subcommittee for further legal clarification. Extensive public comment opposed the draft flag p...
School Committee
Finance Committee liaison reviews school revolving accounts and debates free full-day kindergarten funding path
A Finance Committee liaison subgroup met with school district CFO Mike and Superintendent John to review FY24 and FY25 revolving account balances across food service, athletics user fees, special education, kindergarten, and building rental funds. The group discussed whether e...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves retirement, cemetery, assessors, water, and sewer budgets for FY26
The Marblehead Finance Committee held its first of three Monday night budget hearings, voting to approve five department budgets for fiscal year 2026. The retirement assessment of approximately $5.38 million reflects a 10.2% increase driven by actuarial formula assumptions inc...
Select Board
Select Board hears MBTA 3A legal briefing; defers decision on seeking injunction
The Marblehead Select Board convened a public meeting at the high school to receive a legal briefing from outside counsel Jay Tellerman (Mead Erman Costa) on the MBTA Communities Act litigation landscape, including the SJC ruling, the Division of Local Mandates unfunded-mandat...
School Committee
School Committee policy subcommittee debates draft flag policy amid intense public opposition
The Marblehead School Committee policy subcommittee met to discuss a draft flag and banner policy prepared by the district's attorney (Chen firm), which would limit official flag displays to the U.S. flag, the state flag, and military flags, with the school committee as the de...
School Committee
School committee unanimously names MHS Athletic Complex after Alexander W. Kovich Jr.
The Marblehead School Committee voted 3–0 to rename the Marblehead High School Athletic Complex the Alexander W. Kovich Junior Athletic Complex, honoring the former athletic director. The meeting also featured a student spotlight from Glover School, a February financial update...
Board of Health
Board of Health chair announces retirement after 28 years; mental health task force to evolve into counseling center partnership
Board of Health Chair announced she will not seek reelection when her term expires in June 2025, concluding 28 years of service on the board. The Mental Health Task Force, created under the Board of Health, was endorsed to evolve into a closer partnership with the Marblehead C...
School Committee
FinCom school liaison subcommittee reviews FY24 closeout and FY26 budget outlook
The Finance Committee's school liaison subcommittee met with the superintendent and school business manager to review FY24 actual expenditures, which showed the school department returned approximately $379,000–$382,000 to the town on a roughly $44.9 million budget. Discussion...
School Committee
School committee holds FY26 budget public hearing; names athletic complex deferred to next meeting
The Marblehead School Committee held its required public hearing on the FY26 proposed school budget of approximately $49.1 million, representing a 5% increase over the current year. The committee also heard a family request to rename the Marblehead High School Athletic Complex...
Select Board
Select Board posts 52-article town meeting warrant; declines to appeal Gallo disciplinary ruling
The Select Board opened by announcing it will not appeal the civil service arbitration outcome in the Officer Gallo disciplinary matter, expressing support for Police Chief Dennis King. The board voted to formally post the 52-article annual town meeting warrant, which includes...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee policy subcommittee holds public forum on proposed flag policy
The Marblehead School Committee's policy subcommittee, chaired by Jen Shaffner with Allison Taylor, held a hybrid community forum on a proposed flag and banner policy for school buildings. Roughly 35 speakers — in person and via Zoom, including students, parents, teachers, and...
Board of Health
Board of Health votes to release BSAS community substance-use survey; expansion to five members in doubt
The Marblehead Board of Health voted to proceed with the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) community perception survey, expected to be distributed the following week across four North Shore communities. A board member revealed that the town meeting article expanding th...
School Committee
Marblehead schools propose $49.1M level-service FY26 budget, no override needed
The Marblehead School Committee held a multi-session FY26 budget workshop in which Superintendent and department directors presented a proposed operating budget of approximately $49.1 million, a 5.05% increase over the current adopted budget of approximately $46.75 million. Al...
Select Board
Select Board approves flexible snow-emergency parking ban, appoints new planning director
The Marblehead Select Board replaced the fixed midnight-to-7 AM all-night parking ban with a flexible snow-emergency system allowing the DPW director, fire chief, and police chief to set start and end times based on storm conditions. The board also formally appointed Brendan C...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews transfer station timeline, waste contract cost outlook
The Board of Health held its February 11th meeting, covering transfer station construction updates, substance abuse community programming, regulatory updates for tobacco and body art, and a review of the FY26 budget. A dispute arose over a community substance abuse survey bein...
Select Board
Town Administrator presents FY26 State of the Town: ~$102M budget, no general override needed
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer and CFO Alicia Benjamin presented the FY26 State of the Town, projecting approximately $102M in total revenues (excluding debt exclusions) with a 50/50 split of roughly $4.2M in new revenues between the town and schools. Free cash of approxima...
Board of Health
Board of Health authorizes director to contract with SL Chase Steel for transfer station tipping floor repairs
The Marblehead Board of Health voted unanimously to authorize the Director of Public Health to negotiate and execute a contract with SL Chase Steel for demolition and reconstruction of the transfer station tipping floor and an OSHA-compliant ladder, based on an estimate of app...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves contract process for Director Petty; transfer station compactor work halted by structural damage
The Board of Health voted to have the chair work with town counsel to develop a formal employment contract for Director of Public Health Andrew Petty, and separately voted to approve a $4,500 structural engineering add-service through Winter Street Architects. The board also l...
School Committee
School committee tables FY26 calendar, approves DECA trip and competency determination
The Marblehead School Committee met on January 23, 2025, voting 4-1 to table the proposed 2025-26 school year calendar until the February meeting to allow community feedback on a pre-Labor Day start date. The committee unanimously approved a DECA state competition overnight tr...
Select Board
Select Board approves carpet contract, hears town meeting article previews
The Marblehead Select Board held a brief January 22 meeting covering Town Administrator updates on Mary Alley building improvements and a new Community Development Planning Director hire. The board approved consent agenda items including a $58,828 carpet contract for Mary Alle...
School Committee
Facilities subcommittee recommends combined $8.6M roof-and-HVAC debt exclusion for Marblehead High School
The Facilities Subcommittee of the Marblehead School Committee met to review options for the high school roof and HVAC project and heard a professional recommendation to pursue a single debt exclusion of approximately $8.61 million. The HVAC work — involving large rooftop unit...
School Committee
School committee subcommittee plans flag-policy forums and second-recess policy
A Marblehead School Committee policy subcommittee working session covered three main topics: a draft flag-flying policy, a review of district policies for currency, and a proposal to enshrine a second daily recess for K–6 students as district policy. The subcommittee agreed to...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves updated dog bylaw articles for town meeting warrant
The Marblehead Board of Health met on January 4th and received annual updates from the Marblehead Counseling Center and the Board of Health director. The board voted to approve proposed warrant articles updating dog control bylaws — including increased fines and clarified leas...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 on Coffin School surplus transfer and two budget placeholder warrants
The Marblehead School Committee approved transferring the Coffin School building and grounds to the Select Board as surplus property, no longer needed for school purposes. The committee also approved two Proposition 2½ placeholder warrant articles — one for a general operating...
Select Board
Select Board seats three on Capital Planning Committee; SJC MBTA ruling discussed
The Marblehead Select Board appointed David Harris, Bert Petal, and William Anderson to the reconstituted Capital Planning Committee. The board also received a town administrator update on the Massachusetts SJC's Milton case ruling upholding MBTA Communities Act enforcement wh...
School Committee
Marblehead schools finance subcommittee reviews FY25 budget and begins FY26 planning
The school committee finance subcommittee met on January 7, 2025 to review the FY25 mid-year budget status and begin FY26 budget calendar planning. The business manager reported special education out-of-district tuitions are running approximately $1 million over budget, partia...
School Committee
School committee votes to use April vacation days and late June as strike makeup days
The Marblehead School Committee voted 4-0 to designate April 23, 24, and 25 and June 23 and 24 as the five remaining makeup days for instructional time lost during the teacher strike. The committee also suspended the attendance policy for those ten specific makeup days and adj...
School Committee
School committee subcommittee reviews Marblehead High School roof options, recommends full recover plus HVAC replacement at ~$8.6M
The Marblehead School Committee's building subcommittee met with consultants from Leftfield (OPM) and Raymond Design Associates (architect) to review a feasibility study for the Marblehead High School roof. The $5.36 million appropriated in 2022 is insufficient for the recomme...
Select Board
Select Board fills Water & Sewer vacancy, receives detailed FY26–28 financial forecast showing structural gap
The Marblehead Select Board held a joint session with the Water & Sewer Commission to appoint Greg Burt to fill a commission vacancy. The board also conducted multiple interviews for advisory committee vacancies, approving appointments for the Fair Housing Committee, MBTA Advi...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves transfer station fee increases and two prefab booths
The Board of Health held its final meeting of 2024, beginning with a legal education presentation from the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards on board authority, nuisance law, and the open meeting law. The board then approved the purchase of two prefab control booths f...
School Committee
School committee votes to add 5 school days over Dec 23 and Feb break to make up strike days
The Marblehead School Committee approved five makeup school days — December 23 and February 18–21 — to begin fulfilling a 10-day requirement following the teachers' strike. The committee also ratified the custodians' one-year and three-year contracts, approved a $400,000 desig...
Select Board
Select Board approves single tax rate, hires police recruit, reviews DPW sidewalk plan
The Select Board held a classification hearing and voted to maintain a single uniform tax rate for FY25 with a residential factor of one, declining exemptions for residential, commercial, and open space classes. The board approved a conditional offer of employment to a police ...
School Committee
Marblehead teachers strike ends; schools reopen Nov. 27 after tentative agreement
The Marblehead School Committee and Marblehead Education Association reached tentative agreements on November 26, 2024, ending a roughly 15-day teacher strike. Schools are set to reopen on Wednesday, November 27 — an early release day — with a soft-start plan for students. The...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee describes impasse as teachers' strike enters fact-finding phase
School Committee Bargaining Subcommittee chairs Jen Schaffner and Sarah Fox held a press conference describing the status of contract negotiations with the Marblehead Education Association. The committee's best-and-final offer would raise average teacher salary above $100,000 ...
Select Board
Marblehead Select Board hears teacher strike testimony, advances override planning
The Select Board held its November 13, 2024 meeting amid an active teacher strike, receiving public comment from educators and parents urging contract settlement and extracurricular activity relief. The Finance Committee chair and Finance Director presented a preliminary fisca...
School Committee
Marblehead teachers strike; School Committee and MEA trade competing accounts at dueling press conferences
The Marblehead Education Association commenced an illegal strike, leaving schools closed. School Committee Chair Jen Schaffner and Town Administrator Thatcher Keyser held a press conference asserting the union's wage demand would create a $7.5 million budget shortfall requirin...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to pursue UMass Boston community health needs assessment
The Marblehead Board of Health met with Dr. Coyle from UMass Boston's Gerontology Institute to discuss a proposed community health needs assessment estimated to cost $40,000–$45,000. The assessment would include a demographic profile, focus groups, and a survey mailed to all 1...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee finance liaison reviews FY24 close, FY25 budget controls, and FY26 outlook
The School Committee's finance liaison subcommittee met with new school CFO Mike (last name unclear from transcript) and Superintendent to review the FY24 year-end close, current FY25 budget tracking efforts, and early FY26 planning. The CFO described building out salary-encum...
Select Board
Select Board approves $210,502 coastal resilience grant contract for State Street Landing
The Select Board held a short meeting on October 23, 2024, approving a consent agenda and authorizing the chair to sign a coastal resilience grant contract with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs valued at $210,502 for flood risk analysis at...
School Committee
School committee presents contract-negotiation update amid teacher protests over wages and safety
The Marblehead School Committee held its October 17, 2024 meeting, which opened with extensive public comment from Marblehead Education Association members and parents citing unsafe working conditions, low wages, and insufficient parental leave. The committee then presented a ...
Select Board
Select Board appoints cemetery commission members, reshapes Harbors & Waters board
The Select Board appointed four members to the newly formed Harris Street Cemetery Oversight Commission and restructured the Harbors and Waters board to facilitate succession planning, moving a longtime alternate to full membership and adding two new alternates. The board also...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health awards $49,750 landfill monitoring contract; receives $90,000 state grant
The Board of Health voted unanimously to award a post-closure environmental monitoring contract to Haley & Ward for $49,750, up from the prior contract of $26,000. The board also received notification that it was awarded two Best Practices grants totaling $90,000 from the Comm...
Select Board
Select Board appoints Dave Rogers and Jerry Tucker to Cemetery Commission
The Select Board interviewed four applicants for two vacancies on the Cemetery Commission and unanimously appointed Dave Rogers and Jerry Tucker, both citing their experience and support for more frequent commission meetings. The board also approved a 10-year boatyard lease wi...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to name Brown School garden for Catherine Martin; teacher contract gap detailed
The Marblehead School Committee met September 19, 2024, approving a dedication of the Brown School Organic Garden to Catherine Martin and hearing a detailed briefing on stalled MEA contract negotiations. The bargaining subcommittee disclosed that the MEA's wage proposals — ran...
Select Board
Select Board declines to call special town meeting on MBTA Communities 3A zoning
The Marblehead Select Board discussed MBTA Communities Act compliance at length, including a presentation on financial and legal consequences of non-compliance. Board members expressed concern about potential loss of discretionary state grants and legal costs but indicated the...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews statutory duties, FY26 budget outlook, and transfer station architect fees
The Board of Health held a wide-ranging discussion covering Massachusetts General Law requirements for local boards of health, the gap between Marblehead's current public health budget (~$324,000) and the state per-capita benchmark (~$739,600), and the relationship between the...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves Wayfinder SEL curriculum and $30,000 tennis court donation
The Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting of the new school year, approving a schedule of bills totaling approximately $826,000, hiring a school nurse pending DESE licensure, and accepting four donations including a $30,000 gift from All Sports Boosters for tennis...
Select Board
Select Board debates MBTA 3A special town meeting; approves brewery license expansion
The August 28, 2024 Select Board meeting opened with extended public comment sharply divided over whether to hold a special town meeting to reconsider the MBTA Communities Act zoning article that failed at the May town meeting by 33 votes. Board members discussed the financial...
Select Board
Board approves Hinkley Allen as bond counsel, hears tense assessors budget request
The Select Board approved Hinkley Allen as bond counsel, projected to save approximately 20% over prior fees, and appointed two new Council on Aging members. A lengthy discussion with the Board of Assessors over a $62,000 request to front-load revaluation work ended without a ...
School Committee
School committee holds retreat; votes to table draft flag policy discussion until fall
The Marblehead School Committee held an all-day retreat that opened with public comment on a draft school flag policy. Approximately 15 minutes of public comment included parents, students, and a GLAD staff member who raised concerns about the policy's scope, constitutional im...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves value-engineered transfer station huts, eyes fall bidding
The Board of Health met August 13 and voted to move forward with prefabricated shipping-container structures for the transfer station transaction hut and pit control booth, reducing estimated costs from roughly $155,000 to $30,000–$40,000 each. The board also discussed the upc...
Select Board
Select Board hears harbor lease history, begins multi-year budget forecasting process
The Select Board received an update from the Town Administrator on harbor improvement grants totaling approximately $898,000 and four recently filled staff vacancies. Finance Committee Chair Alec Goki presented a detailed long-term financial forecasting framework targeting a t...
School Committee
School committee approves FTE expansion for student services director, cafeteria wage increases
The Marblehead School Committee met on July 10, 2024, approving a schedule of bills, cafeteria worker hourly wage increases, and an expansion of the assistant director of student services from 0.5 to 1.0 FTE funded from the pre-K/kindergarten revolving account. The committee a...
Select Board
Select Board expands Harbors & Waters Board from 5 members to 7 with 3-year staggered terms
The Select Board voted to restructure the Harbors and Waters Board from a five-member-plus-three-alternates configuration to a seven-member voting board with three-year staggered terms, effective upon appointment of the new membership. The board also approved a fire department...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reorganizes, elects Helene chair 2-1 amid internal dispute
The Board of Health held its annual reorganization meeting, electing the incumbent member as chair by a 2-1 vote after one member read a prepared statement opposing her reappointment. Two vice chair positions were created: one for Community Health and one for Environmental Pro...
Select Board
Select Board approves outdoor dining, fiber optic network, and Purple Heart Town designation
The Marblehead Select Board held its June 26, 2024 meeting, approving temporary outdoor dining for four downtown restaurants, a $420,662 fiber optic municipal network contract funded by ARPA, and designation of Marblehead as a Purple Heart Town. The board also conducted annual...
School Committee
School Committee votes to allocate up to $25,000 for independent investigation into anti-Semitism allegations
The Marblehead School Committee held a special meeting to deliberate on next steps for an independent investigation following significant public comment at its previous meeting. After a failed motion to award the contract directly to a specific firm, the committee voted 5–0 to...
School Committee
School committee reorganizes, votes to approve independent antisemitism investigation
The Marblehead School Committee held its first post-election meeting, reorganizing leadership with Jen Schaffner as chair and Allison Taylor as vice chair. A lengthy public comment session drew more than two hours of testimony about antisemitism allegations involving World Lan...
Select Board
Select Board reorganizes, swears in Drager, approves $23,365 ADA flooring contract
The Select Board held its 376th annual convening, swearing in Moses Drager and electing Erin Newton (Newnan) as chair for the coming year on a 4–0 vote. The board's sole action item was approving a contract with SOEP Painting Corporation for $23,365 to install a non-slip floor...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to appoint John Robu as interim superintendent starting July 1
The Marblehead School Committee held its June meeting, voting unanimously to enter contract negotiations with John Robu as interim superintendent commencing July 1 and appointing Scott Williams as the new Village School principal. The committee approved school improvement plan...
Select Board
Select Board approves outdoor dining policy, multiple contracts, and fireworks plans
The Marblehead Select Board met on June 5, 2024 and adopted a formal outdoor dining policy, approved several contracts including a $1,182,292 roadway and sidewalk improvement project and a $133,000 Franklin Street Firehouse window rehabilitation, and authorized the annual July...
Board of Health
Board of Health hears youth survey data on substance use and mental health, approves sticker refund
The Marblehead Board of Health received a presentation of the 2023 Marblehead Youth High School Survey covering mental health, substance use, and related risk factors. Board members discussed program improvements including a new health educator at Village School for grades 4–6...
School Committee
School Committee approves Sick Leave Bank MOU; advances sole superintendent finalist to site visit
The Marblehead School Committee voted unanimously to advance interim superintendent candidate John Dew to a day-in-district site visit scheduled for Monday, following positive reports from members who conducted reference visits to his current district. After a brief executive ...
Select Board
Select Board honors Jim Nye's 19 years of service; approves rail trail and Red's Pond contracts
The Select Board approved contracts totaling approximately $628,000 for Red's Pond accessibility improvements and rail trail design work, funded through ARPA and federal earmarks. The board also opened and closed the warrant for the June 11, 2024 annual town election, approved...
School Committee
School Committee votes 5-0 to opt out of school choice for 2024-25; hears youth risk behavior survey data
The Marblehead School Committee held its annual public hearing and voted unanimously not to participate in the state school choice program for 2024-25, citing limited classroom space at the elementary level. The committee received a detailed presentation of the third annual yo...
Select Board
Select Board approves outdoor seating license, parking changes, and multiple DPW contracts
The Marblehead Select Board held a public hearing and approved permanent outdoor seating for My Thai Lounge, approved a series of DPW and infrastructure contracts including a $79,500 pavement management change order and a $62,000 annual truck lease, and authorized parking rest...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health hears staff updates on inspections, beach water quality, avian flu, and mosquito control
The Board of Health received presentations from Public Health Nurse Tracy Owler and Health Inspector Bobby Cody covering communicable disease surveillance, food and pool inspections, beach water quality testing, avian flu monitoring, and mosquito control. The board approved sp...
School Committee
School Committee advances two interim superintendent finalists, approves two assistant superintendent contracts
The Marblehead School Committee held a special meeting to deliberate on its interim superintendent search, voting 5-0 to advance Barbara Catalo and John Robodo to the next phase. The committee also approved contracts 5-0 for two new assistant superintendents: Michael Piffer (F...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee interviews two interim superintendent finalists
The Marblehead School Committee conducted public interviews with two interim superintendent candidates: Dr. John Roo, current superintendent of Swansea MA with eight years in that role, and a second candidate (name partially unclear from transcript) who previously served as su...
School Committee
School Committee interviews interim superintendent candidates and appoints new finance director
The Marblehead School Committee conducted public interviews of interim superintendent candidates across two evening sessions, questioning four finalists on budget process, MTSS implementation, override strategy, and leadership philosophy. At the close of the second session, th...
Select Board
Select Board approves Richdale liquor license transfer, ARPA bike plan funding, and multiple event permits
The Marblehead Select Board held a public hearing and unanimously approved the transfer of a wine and malt beverage package store license at Richdale to Che LLC. The board also authorized $79,763 in ARPA funds for a town-wide pedestrian and bike plan, and approved a slate of s...
School Committee
School committee hires Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, selects 5 superintendent finalists
The Marblehead School Committee approved Lisa Marie Ippolito as Assistant Superintendent of Student Services (elevated from the originally posted Director title) pending contract negotiations. The committee selected five finalists to interview for the interim superintendent po...
Select Board
Select Board appoints 11-member Charter Study Commission, debates MBTA 3A compliance
The Marblehead Select Board conducted a range of routine business including appointments, contract approvals, and ARPA funding. The board appointed 11 residents to a new Charter Study Commission using a ranked-choice scoring process. A lengthy discussion on Article 36 (MBTA Co...
Board of Health
Board of Health votes to carry forward $300K in transfer station funds after receiving zero general contractor bids
The Marblehead Board of Health voted unanimously to increase the FY25 waste revolving account spending authority by $300,000 (to $1,362,069) after no general contractor submitted a bid for the transfer station renovation project. The board reviewed filed sub-bids that came in ...
School Committee
FinCom recommends school FY25 budget of $46,759,110 after revolving-fund review
The Finance Committee and School Committee met jointly to review how the FY25 school budget was balanced, with administrators explaining that approximately $800,000 was restored from pre-K/kindergarten tuition revolving funds and a projected $600,000 FY24 surplus, reducing pla...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee votes recommendations on all 53 Town Meeting warrant articles, including new meals and rooms taxes
The Finance Committee held its annual Town Warrant Article Review Hearing on April 8, 2024, working through all 53 articles and voting recommendations on those with financial implications. The Select Board opened the meeting by voting 4-1 to reduce the OPEB funding line by $25...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee votes FY25 budget at approximately $47.5M
The School Committee voted a preliminary FY25 budget of approximately $47,476,000, which includes restoring three priority categories of previously cut positions totaling roughly $1.2 million. The committee acknowledged the budget relies on anticipated year-end surplus funds a...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves select board, public safety, and library budgets for FY25
The Marblehead Finance Committee reviewed and approved FY25 budgets for the Town Clerk, Elections, Library, and all Select Board departments including police, fire, public works, human services, debt service, and harbor. Police and fire departments noted staffing is at or near...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds public forum, rules out reduced-services budget
The Marblehead School Committee hosted a League of Women Voters-moderated public forum covering the interim superintendent search, school facilities, budget options, and policy issues. Following the forum, the committee held a budget deliberation session and unanimously indica...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves four FY25 budgets totaling ~$14.9M for Health, Waste, Park & Rec, and Water/Sewer
The Finance Committee held its second of three budget hearing nights, reviewing and voting on FY25 budgets for the Health Department, Waste, Park & Recreation, and the Water and Sewer enterprise funds. All four budgets were approved unanimously. Discussion highlighted a struct...
School Committee
MPS presents FY25 budget with $2.3M deficit; public hearing draws large crowd
The Marblehead School Committee held its annual public budget hearing, during which Superintendent McGinnis presented a reduced-services FY25 budget reflecting approximately $2.3 million in cuts, including elimination of 36 positions totaling 28 FTEs. Dozens of teachers, paren...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews tobacco regulation updates and allocates $45,000 ARPA funds to Counseling Center
The Board of Health received a presentation from the KAN Tobacco Control collaborative director recommending updates to local tobacco regulations, including a new three-day suspension for first-offense sales to minors, updated fine structures to match state minimums ($1,000/$2...
School Committee
Glover School safety incident dominates meeting as educators demand action on staffing and budget
Dozens of Marblehead educators delivered public comment demanding support for Glover School staff placed on paid administrative leave following a student safety incident. Superintendent McGinnis reported receipt of independent investigator and DCF reports, and outlined plans t...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds public forum on budget, superintendent search, and flag policy
The Marblehead School Committee held a public forum attended by approximately 156 people in-person and online. The committee decided to conduct the interim superintendent search as a full committee with an entirely public process. Topics included school property disposition, t...
Select Board
Select Board approves 8 contracts, ARPA allocations, drone donation, and charter review presentation
The Marblehead Select Board heard a presentation from the Collins Center for Public Management on charter review processes and approved a wide range of contracts and appointments. The board allocated $208,100 in ARPA funds across three projects and accepted a $15,321 donation ...
School Committee
Marblehead schools face $2.3M budget gap; 36-position, 28-FTE cut list presented to School Committee
The Marblehead Public Schools administration presented a preliminary FY25/FY26 budget to the School Committee showing a level-services request of approximately $47.4M against a reduced-services budget of approximately $45.6M, a 1.68% increase over the prior fiscal year. A $2.3...
School Committee
School Committee agrees to hold public forum Thursday; defers superintendent search vote
The Marblehead School Committee met with League of Women Voters representatives to plan a public forum on transparency and school leadership. The committee agreed to proceed with the forum Thursday at 7 PM at the high school in hybrid format, while the League's preferred date ...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee and School Committee meet on FY24 status, SPED costs, and budget transparency
The Marblehead Finance Committee held a joint working session with school officials to review the FY24 school budget status, out-of-district SPED placements, circuit breaker reimbursement practices, and grant/revolving fund transparency. The discussion covered a roughly $200,0...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee endorses I Am Bill, approves interim hires amid superintendent search discussion
The Marblehead School Committee approved contracts for an interim student services director and a part-time school business operations consultant, endorsed the state I Am Bill requiring free menstrual products in public schools, and approved the 2024-25 school calendar. The co...
Select Board
School committee vacancy filled: Mel Williams appointed 6-3 over Tom Mathers
The Marblehead School Committee and Select Board jointly interviewed five candidates for a vacant school committee seat on February 7, 2024. After two rounds of voting, Mel Williams was appointed 6 to 3, defeating Tom Mathers and Sarah Magazine. The Select Board also appointed...
School Committee
School Committee appoints Al Williams to vacant seat after two-round vote
The Marblehead School Committee conducted structured public interviews of seven applicants for a vacant committee seat, with each of the nine sitting members posing one question to every candidate on topics including governance, budget challenges, collective bargaining, and tr...
School Committee
School committee approves $45.5M reduced-services budget framework, faces $2.3M in cuts
The Marblehead School Committee heard that the district's level-services budget for FY25 is approximately $47.9M, requiring roughly $2.3M in cuts to reach a reduced-services budget of about $45.5M. The committee approved several action items including co-signing an anti-hate l...
Select Board
Town Administrator presents FY25 State of the Town; cost-sharing collaboratives and operational reviews underway
Two-hour meeting dominated by a single agenda item: Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer's FY25 State of the Town presentation. The town reports it is "currently in good financial health" but warns difficult decisions will be required for FY25 and beyond, and notes the Board has ...
School Committee
School Committee hears FY25 budget warning: level-funding cuts could exceed 33 positions
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular meeting on January 18, 2024, receiving a high-level FY25 budget overview projecting that a level-services budget would reach approximately $47 million while a reduced-services budget matching current funding of approximately $44...
Select Board
Select Board approves liquor license transfers, hears MBTA zoning update, appoints HR Director
The Marblehead Select Board appointed Thomas Howard as the town's first Human Resources Director and approved a student representative to the Task Force Against Discrimination. The board heard a detailed presentation on MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A) zoning requirements, wh...
Board of Health
Transfer station renovation bid set for January 17 with $1.258M construction budget
The Marblehead Board of Health held its first meeting of 2024, with the primary business item being the upcoming transfer station renovation bid process. The director outlined a base bid covering pit renovation, site work, and scale house foundation, plus five alternates in pr...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves superintendent search process, legal counsel, and club creation
The Marblehead School Committee held its first January 2024 meeting, addressing a superintendent search process, several personnel changes including the departure of the assistant superintendent of finance and the director of student services, and routine approvals. The commit...
School Committee
School Committee hears no-confidence testimony against special ed leadership, votes to procure audit
Multiple Marblehead teachers, tutors, and parents addressed the School Committee calling for the removal of Student Services Director Paula Donnelly and Assistant Director Emily Dean, citing unsafe working conditions, inadequate behavioral support, and a culture of retaliation...
Select Board
Select Board appoints Lindsay Duby to Finance Committee, approves dozen-plus licenses
The Marblehead Select Board interviewed three Finance Committee applicants and unanimously selected Lindsay Duby, a senior vice president at Eagle Bank with a finance degree and commercial credit background. The board approved annual and Sunday entertainment licenses for Ripti...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves higher mattress fee for non-residents at transfer station
The Board of Health held its December 12 meeting, receiving annual updates from the Marblehead Counseling Center and the Mental Health Task Force. The board voted to set a two-tier mattress disposal fee: $35 per piece for residents with a sticker and $75 per piece for non-resi...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves protocols, enters executive session on MEA letter
The School Committee approved revised operating protocols and a schedule of bills totaling $345,245.08. Interim Superintendent Dr. Theresa McGinnis provided an update on incidents at Glover School, including a principal medical leave, a student restraint investigation, and the...
School Committee
School committee approves three elementary school improvement plans, schedules December budget forum
The Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting with new Interim Superintendent Dr. Teresa McGinness, who provided district updates including the Veteran School ranking 30th among Massachusetts middle schools by US News. The committee approved a schedule of bills totali...
Select Board
Select Board upholds OHDC denial of mini-split line sets at 34 Front Street
The Marblehead Select Board, meeting with a chair pro tempore after the regular chair's family emergency, heard an appeal by homeowner Sally Thompson of an Old and Historic District Commission order to remediate exterior mini-split line sets installed without prior approval at...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to continue North Shore Public Health Collaborative agreement
The Board of Health held its regular meeting, featuring a presentation by Dr. Thomas Mauro on the future of public health planning and a unanimous vote to continue the inter-municipal North Shore Public Health Collaborative agreement. The board also received updates on the tra...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee hears MEA concerns, school improvement plans, and flag-policy update
The Marblehead School Committee held its November 2023 meeting, which featured extended public comment from Marblehead Education Association co-presidents and community members about educator morale, FOIA requests, and diversity flags removed from the high school. The committe...
School Committee
School Policy Subcommittee opens flag-policy discussion, takes no vote
The Marblehead School Committee Policy Subcommittee met to hear public comment and begin a preliminary discussion on a potential flag/banner display policy for school buildings. Multiple residents expressed divergent views on the Black Lives Matter banner at the high school an...
Select Board
Select Board appoints two Measures of Leather, approves Holocaust Remembrance Day proclamation
The Marblehead Select Board appointed two candidates — Amy Elia and Brian Ruco — as Measures of Leather under MGL Chapter 95, Section 1, filling a long-vacant position. The board also proclaimed January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day annually and approved use ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews FY23 close-out and begins FY24 budget planning
The school business office presented the FY23 budget close-out, noting that staffing vacancies throughout the year freed up funds that were applied to one-time capital security purchases including camera upgrades, door-swipe access, and intercom replacements. The committee dis...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to find no wrongdoing by acting superintendent in complaint
The Marblehead School Committee met October 19, 2023, and voted unanimously to find no wrongdoing by Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta in a formal complaint filed October 12 related to her statement supporting Israel following the Hamas attack. Cresta waived her right to e...
Select Board
Select Board seats Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, receives FY25 revenue forecast
The Marblehead Select Board conducted eleven interviews and selected three residents — David Kucharski, Gary Hebert, and Rick Meyers — for staggered terms on the new Traffic Safety Advisory Committee. The board also appointed department heads and the Town Administrator as ex-o...
School Committee
School Committee votes 4-1 to offer interim superintendent role to Dr. Theresa McGinnis
The Marblehead School Committee reviewed reference checks for two interim superintendent finalists — Dr. Theresa McGinnis and Dr. Janelle Pearson Campbell — before voting 4 to 1 to offer the position to Dr. McGinnis, subject to successful contract negotiations with the chair. ...
Board of Health
Board votes to expand from 3 to 5 members; approves transfer station feasibility study
The Marblehead Board of Health unanimously voted to pursue expanding its membership from three to five members, a change that will require a Town Meeting article. The board also unanimously voted to bring a feasibility study for a new transfer station sorting floor to Town Mee...
School Committee
School committee retains Coffin School property, votes 3-2 against warrant transfer
The Marblehead School Committee voted 3-2 to declare Coffin School necessary for potential future educational purposes and not sponsor a warrant article to transfer it to the town. The committee also reviewed 2023 MCAS results showing overall growth above state averages but co...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee interviews two interim superintendent finalists
The Marblehead School Committee held a special public meeting to interview two candidates for interim superintendent: Janelle Pearson Campbell and Teresa McGinness. Each candidate answered the same ten prepared questions covering onboarding plans, budget engagement, MTSS metho...
Select Board
Select Board adopts financial policies, approves natural gas contract switch for savings
The Select Board received a detailed GASB 75 OPEB actuarial presentation from Odyssey Advisors showing a total OPEB liability of approximately $163 million and roughly 3.5% funding. The board unanimously approved a new three-year natural gas contract at $6.02 per decatherm, do...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves three school handbooks 4-0 with one abstention
The committee approved elementary, middle school, and high school handbooks for 2023-24 with a request for clarification on the definition of 'core subjects' in the homework guidelines. The meeting also included a high-level update on the interim superintendent search (11 appl...
Board of Health
Board approves $231,480 transfer station construction contract, adds Narcan mailbox
The Marblehead Board of Health approved a $231,480 contract with Winter Street Architects for transfer station construction documents and administration. The board also voted unanimously to install a public health mailbox at the Mary Alley building to dispense fentanyl test st...
School Committee
Marblehead School Finance Subcommittee previews FY25 budget process, flags likely structural gap
The finance subcommittee held an early FY24 budget update, reporting a roughly $157,000 surplus in out-of-district tuition and noting that the circuit-breaker revolving fund has been fully maximized for the first time in four years. The committee discussed the FY25 budget plan...
Select Board
Select Board approves roof contracts, liquor licenses, and ARPA rail trail update
The Marblehead Select Board held its September 13, 2023 meeting, approving contracts for the DPW and police station roof replacement ($1,243,689) and window restoration at the Franklin Street Firehouse ($24,200). Town Planner Becky Cutting presented an update on the ARPA-funde...
School Committee
School committee appoints parent to interim superintendent search committee, 3-0
The Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting of the school year, opening with public comment on pedestrian safety near Glover School and student privacy concerns after personal information appeared in published public-records documents. The committee voted 3-0 (with ...
School Committee
School committee appoints search panel members and Glover School nurse
The Marblehead School Committee approved a schedule of bills totaling $160,057.15, appointed Marietta Collins as Glover School nurse, and formally constituted the interim superintendent search committee. The committee appointed Michelle Cresta as the administrator representati...
School Committee
School Committee retains NESDEC at no cost to conduct interim superintendent search
The Marblehead School Committee voted unanimously to retain the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to conduct a free interim superintendent search. NESDEC representatives David DeRue and Carolyn Burke outlined a process involving a posting period of three to six w...
Select Board
Select Board votes to reappoint all volunteers seeking reappointment, advances appointment policy
The Select Board voted to rescind a July holdover and immediately reappoint all volunteers seeking reappointment from the June 28 committee appointment process. The board also worked through a draft volunteer appointment and reappointment policy, making several language edits,...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee ratifies superintendent separation agreement 3-1
The Marblehead School Committee held a public meeting to ratify the separation agreement with Superintendent Dr. John Bucky, dated August 2, 2023, voting 3 to 1 with one abstention. The committee also appointed Assistant Superintendent Michelle Cresta as acting superintendent ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves credit card payments at transfer station
The Board of Health voted unanimously to begin accepting credit card payments at the transfer station via a Square system, with a convenience fee passed on to users. The board also discussed transfer station sticker pricing, license plate reader technology as a potential stick...
School Committee
School Policy Subcommittee discusses reinstating second recess, coach certification, and wellness policy update
The Marblehead School Committee Policy Subcommittee met to discuss several policy items including requiring MIAA certification for all coaches (a directive already issued for fall 2023 with a mid-September deadline), updating the district wellness policy ahead of the school ye...
Select Board
Select Board approves $2.39M in ARPA funding for rail trail, software, and fiber
The Marblehead Select Board approved three ARPA-funded projects totaling $2,390,003: Rail Trail Lead Mills Bridge Construction ($1,426,200), a school-town financial software upgrade ($463,803), and replacement of the municipal fiber connection loop ($500,000). Following the vo...
School Committee
Select Board meeting adjourned immediately at 7:31 PM on counsel's advice
The chair called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM and announced that, due to last-minute communication with counsel, the board would not proceed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:31 PM with no business conducted.
Select Board
Board defers volunteer reappointment vote to September 13 after lengthy policy debate
The Marblehead Select Board met July 12, 2023 and spent the majority of the meeting debating a new appointments and reappointments policy for volunteer boards. A motion by member Grater to immediately reappoint all volunteer board members held since the June 28 meeting was ame...
Board of Health
Board of Health reorganizes, elects Helene Hazlett chair and Joanne Miller vice chair
The Marblehead Board of Health held its post-election reorganization on July 11, 2023, electing Helene Hazlett as chair and Joanne Miller as vice chair. The board also voted to set a goal of replacing the employee trailer at the transfer station at the same time the compactor ...
School Committee
Schaeffner proposes zero-based budgeting on staffing with an outside consultant
Two-hour meeting following the failed FY24 override. MEA co-presidents spoke at public comment urging the committee to support a budget that enhances public education. Subcommittee assignments set for 2023-24, user fees raised by $12 per athlete (5-0, generating ~$26K for fres...
School Committee
School committee reorganizes, debates reinstating freshman sports amid 33-position cuts
The newly organized Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting of the new term, electing officers and conducting an extended discussion of the FY24 budget following the failure of a Prop 2½ override. The superintendent confirmed 33 positions are being eliminated due to...
Select Board
Select Board holds volunteer board reappointments until November 1 to review appointment process
The Select Board voted 4-1 to place all volunteer board reappointments on hold until November 1, 2023, to allow time to review and codify appointment policies following a town meeting mandate. Professional staff appointments and routine contract awards were approved unanimousl...
Select Board
Select Board elects Aaron Noonan chair; approves carry-in license for Plus Cafe
The Select Board held its annual organizational meeting on June 21, 2023, electing Aaron Noonan as chair for the upcoming year by unanimous vote. The board then held a public hearing and approved a carry-in beer and wine license for Plus Cafe at 34A Atlantic Avenue. The board ...
School Committee
School committee approves superintendent's FY23 review 5-0; superintendent declines pay raise
The Marblehead School Committee approved Superintendent Dr. Bucky's 2022–23 annual review unanimously (5-0), using a new collaborative process in which all members worked through ratings together rather than submitting individual written evaluations. The superintendent opened ...
Select Board
Board approves Pride pavement art outside Marblehead information booth
The Select Board approved the Marblehead Cultural Council's request to install a Pride-themed pavement design on four concrete slabs outside the information booth at no cost to the town. The board also received a 75% design update on the $13.5 million Municipal Shipyard Resili...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee conducts closed superintendent performance review
The School Committee met in what appears to be a closed or informal session to conduct the annual summative evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Bucky (full name unclear from audio). Members compared individual written evaluations across multiple performance standards, negotiating...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee hires high school nurse, approves policy revisions, reviews youth risk data
The School Committee approved Julie Berman as the 0.8 FTE high school nurse in a unanimous 5-0 vote, then voted to rescind outdated school improvement plan policies and adopt MASC-recommended replacements. The superintendent's office presented enrollment and class-size data re...
Select Board
Marblehead Hotel awarded wine/malt beverage license over craft brewery applicant in 3-2 vote
The Select Board held two sequential public hearings for the single available wine/malt beverage license, with applications from Marblehead Hotel (264 Pleasant St.) and Hopped at the Carey craft brewery (31 Atlantic Ave.). After brief deliberation, the board voted 3-2 to award...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee votes to decline School Choice for 2023-24 and adopts 'Wit & Wisdom' literacy curriculum
The committee opened with a public hearing and voted unanimously to opt out of School Choice for the 2023-24 year, citing budget instability and a potential 33-position reduction if an override fails. High School Principal Bauer presented on the phased elimination of College P...
Select Board
Select Board approves $94,513 in ARPA school funds; places override question on June ballot
The Marblehead Select Board held a 21-item meeting covering appointments, ARPA allocations, and election warrant matters. The board unanimously approved $94,513 in federal ARPA funds for school classroom equipment and smart-panel technology. The board also opened and closed th...
Board of Health
Board of Health hears transfer station permitting update, tobacco violation fine issued
The Marblehead Board of Health met on May 9, 2023 and received an update on the transfer station facility renovation, including a successful meeting with MassDEP to pursue a modification permit for a small handling facility capped at 15,000 tons per year. The board also heard ...
Select Board
Select Board approves contracts, appointments, and hears override cost explanation ahead of Town Meeting
The Select Board worked through a 22-item agenda including routine licensing, DPW contracts, and appointments. Town Administrator and Finance Director provided a detailed explanation of the Prop 2½ override question, clarifying that the median household cost is approximately $...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee votes IP on Article 46; takes no recommendation on Articles 50, 51, 52
The Finance Committee held its second warrant hearing night, voting to indefinitely postpone Article 46 (not being brought forward) and taking no recommendation on Articles 50, 51, and 52. Article 50 concerns adding an AASHTO pedestrian design guide reference to subdivision by...
Town Meeting
League of Women Voters hosts Warrant Night covering citizen articles 44–54
The League of Women Voters held its 2023 Warrant Night at Marblehead High School to present citizen-sponsored town warrant articles numbered 44 through 54 in preparation for town meeting on May 1st. Sponsors or their designees explained articles covering select board term leng...
Select Board
Board approves Riptide liquor license transfer, appoints Dan Albert to MBTA Advisory Board
The Marblehead Select Board held a public hearing and approved the transfer of the all-alcoholic beverage license from Riptide Lounge Inc. to Riptide Group Inc. at 116 Pleasant Street. The board also interviewed three candidates for the MBTA Advisory Board vacancy, selecting D...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves $313,091 FY24 budget and sets $25 freon-appliance disposal fee
The Marblehead Board of Health voted to ratify a revised FY24 operating budget of $313,091, up from a proposed $303,879 after the finance director identified additional funds, though mental health contract services were still reduced by approximately $1,188. The board also app...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee recommends $112.5M FY24 budget and $2.47M override for town meeting
The Marblehead Finance Committee held its annual town warrant article hearing, reviewing all 54 warrant articles. The Select Board opened the meeting by voting unanimously to set the Proposition 2½ general override amount at $2,472,056. The Finance Committee then voted recomme...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves new high school principal and assistant superintendent
The School Committee voted 5-0 to approve Michelle Carlson as the next Marblehead High School principal and 5-0 to appoint Julia Ferreira as assistant superintendent. The committee also reviewed i-Ready assessment data showing reading and math growth across grades K-8, discuss...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves FY24 reduced-service budgets totaling roughly $38.3M for town departments
The Finance Committee voted on FY24 reduced-service budgets for all remaining town departments, including water, sewer, harbor, police, fire, public works, library, health, waste, recreation, and general fund accounts. The Town Administrator outlined two new positions—an HR Di...
School Committee
School Committee approves two FY24 budgets — one base, one contingent on override
The Marblehead School Committee held a brief meeting on June 7, 2023, voting unanimously to approve two FY24 budgets. The first, a base Services budget of $44,837,273, passed 4-0. The second, a level-Services budget of $45,971,790 representing a 4.52% increase, passed 5-0 but ...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves school reduced-services budget of $44.8M for FY24
The Marblehead Finance Committee held its first FY24 budget hearing night, reviewing and approving budgets for the Cemetery, Assessor, and School departments. The school department presented both a level-services budget (requiring a Prop 2½ override) and a reduced-services bud...
Select Board
Select Board adopts FY24 override statement; ~$2.5M structural deficit identified
The Marblehead Select Board unanimously adopted a statement of intent for a FY24 operating override, with the Town Administrator reporting a structural deficit of approximately $2.5 million — the delta between the reduced budget (~$94.5M) and the level-services budget (~$97M)....
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves FY24 reduced budgets and $257,610 compactor purchase
The Board of Health approved reduced FY24 operating budgets for the Health Department ($303,879) and Waste Department ($2,625,840-range), both reflecting approximately 4% cuts with no reductions to staffing or contractual pay increases. The board also voted to procure a Cremal...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY24 budget hearing, presenting level-service and reduced-service options
Superintendent Dr. Bucky presented two FY24 budget scenarios: a level-services budget requiring a Prop 2½ override (4.52% increase) and a reduced-services budget (1.82% increase) that would eliminate 33 positions including teachers, paraprofessionals, and a middle school libra...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee checks liaison progress ahead of two back-to-back budget hearing nights
The Finance Committee approved meeting minutes and an $8,770 reserve fund transfer for heating repairs at the Abbot School before reviewing the status of department liaison meetings ahead of budget hearings on March 27 and April 3. Town Administrator Thatcher described a balan...
Select Board
Select Board tables FY24 override statement of intent until Wednesday meeting
The Marblehead Select Board discussed a three-page statement of intent outlining a proposed two-part FY24 operating override: one to address the structural deficit and a second to fund a town stabilization fund. Board members debated the definition of 'level service funding,' ...
School Committee
School committee presents two FY24 budgets amid uncertainty over town funding level
Superintendent Dr. Bucky opened the meeting with a state-of-the-district address, noting the committee had decided to present two budgets — one with significant personnel and program cuts and one at level-services — because the town had not yet provided a funding figure. A bud...
School Committee
School Committee votes 4-1 to present two budget scenarios at public hearing
The Marblehead School Committee held an emergency Monday morning meeting to give Superintendent Dr. Bucky direction on which budget scenarios to present at the upcoming public budget hearing. After extended debate, the committee voted 4 to 1 to present only two scenarios: the ...
School Committee
School budget liaison meeting reveals 37 potential staff reductions under austerity plan
The Marblehead Finance Committee's school budget liaison subcommittee met with school administration to review the FY24 budget, which presents three scenarios: a reduced-services ('austerity') budget of approximately $37.5M, a level-services budget of approximately $38.9M, and...
Select Board
Select Board discusses potential Prop 2½ override to address structural deficit and free-cash reliance
The Marblehead Select Board held an exploratory discussion about a potential Proposition 2½ override to close a structural budget deficit, with the Town Administrator reporting that department budget requests exceed available revenues by approximately $2–2.25 million. The boar...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee warns austerity budget could cut 30+ positions
The School Committee held an extended budget planning session for FY24, discussing three budget scenarios: an austerity budget, a 'keep the lights on' level-services budget, and an aspirational budget. A worst-case scenario — dependent on the town closing its books and the out...
School Committee
School Committee warned potential FY24 cuts could eliminate over 33 staff positions
The Marblehead School Committee received a memo from Superintendent Bucky outlining potential FY24 reductions to meet a preliminary town appropriation that would require eliminating approximately 33.6 full-time equivalent staff positions. Committee members emphasized the need ...
School Committee
School Committee directed to cut ~$850K from FY24 budget under $800K town appropriation guidance
The Marblehead School Committee held a special session to give Superintendent Dr. Bucky direction ahead of a Thursday leadership meeting. The town's guidance of an $800,000 increase over FY23 — with no available free cash — requires the district to cut roughly $850,000 from pr...
School Committee
School budget faces $643K gap after cuts; override strategy debated
A joint meeting of Finance Committee and School Committee liaisons reviewed the Marblehead school department's FY24 budget situation, which shows a remaining gap of approximately $643,000 even after eliminating most staffing requests, reducing supplies, and identifying a calcu...
Select Board
Select Board approves revolving funds, town meeting warrant articles, and multiple facility use requests
The Select Board reviewed the Green Marblehead Committee's draft Net Zero Roadmap and a historic assessment of the Franklin Street Firehouse, estimated at approximately $2.3 million for full renovation. The board voted unanimously to authorize revolving fund accounts totaling ...
School Committee
School committee budget subcommittee warns cuts exceeding $1.59M needed for FY24
The Marblehead School Committee budget subcommittee met to discuss the FY24 budget gap, noting the district faces a 5.43% cost increase against a town-afforded 1.3% increase, creating a gap of more than $1.59 million that must be cut. Administrators were asked to prepare a lis...
Select Board
Town Administrator presents FY2024 budget scenarios projecting $1.8M–$4.4M deficit
Town Administrator Thatcher Keyser delivered a 'State of the Town' presentation outlining FY2024 revenue estimates of approximately $105.3M against expenditure scenarios ranging from $107M to $109M, producing projected deficits of $1.77M to $4.4M depending on cost-increase ass...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY24 budget workshop; warns cuts likely without override
The School Committee convened an all-schools budget workshop at which each principal and department director presented their FY24 aspirational budget request. Superintendent Dr. Bucky warned that contractual obligations alone would require a 5.43% increase—well above the 2.5% ...
Select Board
Thomas Mathers appointed to fill vacant Marblehead School Committee seat
The Select Board and School Committee held a joint meeting on January 23, 2023 to fill a vacancy on the School Committee created by a resignation in 2022. Six candidates were interviewed — Paul Baker, Don DeWitt, Raymond Hansen, Thomas Mathers, Liam McGowan, and Scott Stunkel ...
Select Board
Select Board makes five appointments and approves 5% COLA for town retirees
The Marblehead Select Board, meeting jointly with the Housing Authority, made appointments to the Task Force Against Discrimination, Old Burial Hill Committee, and Housing Authority. The board unanimously approved a one-time 5% cost-of-living adjustment for town retirees under...
School Committee
School Committee votes 6-0 to retain all school properties, reject transfers this year
The School Committee's Facilities Subcommittee voted unanimously not to sponsor warrant articles transferring ownership of any school properties this year, including Coffin and Eveleth schools. The committee also discussed the Eveleth Library MOU, concluding the school departm...
Board of Health
Board of Health hears complaints from local contractors over C&D waste truck-size rule
The Marblehead Board of Health met January 10, 2023 for its regular monthly meeting. Local contractors Tom McMahon and Chris Kennedy appeared during public comment to object to a state DEP regulation barring trucks over five cubic yards capacity from depositing construction an...
Select Board
Alicia Benjamin appointed Finance Director; Lt. Sweeney receives Medal of Commendation
The Select Board convened briefly in executive session to conclude contract negotiations with Alicia Benjamin before unanimously appointing her as Finance Director. Police Chief King presented Lt. Sean Sweeney Sr. with the department's highest recognition, the Medal of Commend...
School Committee
School Committee approves warrant article placeholders including debt exclusion and override
The Marblehead School Committee met on January 5, 2023 and received presentations on school start-time survey results, MCAS results from Brown and Gover elementary schools, a draft 2023-24 school calendar, and a rolling blackout preparedness briefing from the Marblehead Munici...
Select Board
Select Board approves $52,593 contract amendment for rail trail crossing improvements
A special session of the Marblehead Select Board was convened with a chair pro tem appointed due to the regular chair's absence. The board voted unanimously to amend the crossing improvement contract with Richard F. D'Ambrosia Inc. of Weymouth by $52,593.50 and extend it throu...
School Committee
School finance committee reviews FY23 budget pressures and plans FY24 process
The joint school-finance liaison meeting reviewed the FY23 school budget, flagging custodial vacancies, rising utility costs, and SPED tuition and transportation overruns totaling roughly $970,000 above budget. The group discussed FY24 planning priorities including a four-year...
School Committee
School Committee interviews Glover nurse candidate, reviews MCAS data and anti-hazing efforts
The Marblehead School Committee opened with a performance by the Encore youth string ensemble before conducting a public interview of Lauren Kinder, a candidate for the Glover School nurse vacancy. The board reviewed Village School MCAS results showing declines in 5th-grade ma...
Board of Health
Board of Health raises mattress fee to $35, solid waste rate to $280/ton, allocates $145K to Marblehead Counseling Center
The Marblehead Board of Health approved increases to transfer station fees, raising the mattress recycling fee from $25 to $35 per unit and the non-residential solid waste disposal rate from $210 to $280 per ton. The board also voted to allocate $145,000 from a $200,000 mental...
Select Board
Marblehead Select Board renews 2023 business and liquor licenses, approves election-ballot lottery bill
The Select Board held its regular meeting and unanimously approved a large slate of 2023 license renewals covering entertainment, common victuallers, package stores, and all-alcoholic licenses. The board also approved technical language revisions to Senate Bill 3027, which est...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews MCAS results, FY23 budget shortfall, and School Committee vacancy process
The committee heard detailed MCAS presentations from Veterans Middle School and Marblehead High School principals showing strong student growth percentiles statewide, despite some post-pandemic content gaps in science and math. Chief Financial Officer Michelle presented the fi...
Board of Health
Board approves transfer station design concepts; discusses ARPA mental-health funding
The Board of Health reviewed detailed design concepts for the Marblehead transfer station renovation, covering the scale house, compactor building, swap shed, and staff transaction kiosk. The board voted unanimously to approve the design concepts as presented, with minor follo...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews MCAS trends, opens vacancy application process
The committee received a district-wide MCAS trend analysis showing proficiency at 58.1% in ELA, 52% in math, and 51.9% in science for spring 2022, all above state norms but below prior-year levels. The committee also formally announced the process to fill a school committee va...
Select Board
Select Board approves ARPA spending of ~$1.07M including fuel station replacement
The Marblehead Select Board held a public hearing and approved a stock transfer for Beacon Hill Imports, revised the Fair Housing Committee structure, and announced a school committee vacancy process. The board approved roughly $1.07M in ARPA funding for an after-school progra...
Board of Health
Board of Health hears Marblehead Counseling Center's ARPA funding request of ~$145,000
The Board of Health met on November 15, 2022 to hear a presentation from the Marblehead Counseling Center on its proposed uses for ARPA funds allocated to the Board of Health, estimated at approximately $145,000 of the $200,000 total allocation. The Counseling Center outlined ...
School Committee
School committee votes 2-2 on filling vacancy, unanimously condemns 'culture of intimidation'
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular meeting, receiving a presentation from the Marblehead Rotary Club on the Inner Explorer mindfulness program donated to all five public schools. The committee approved superintendent goals 4-0 and approved a schedule of bills tot...
Select Board
Board appoints two police officers, two Finance Committee members, hears offshore wind update
The Select Board approved conditional offers of employment to two Marblehead residents as permanent full-time police officers and announced the department's Massachusetts re-accreditation. The board then interviewed five candidates for two Finance Committee vacancies, appointi...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews Thought Exchange survey results and hears curriculum update
The school committee met on October 20, 2022, receiving a presentation on the district's first Thought Exchange community survey, which drew 500 participants and surfaced top themes including budget, lunch, staff retention, mental health, and later school start times. Assistan...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY24 budget-priorities working session, reaches no final directives
The School Committee convened a special working session to develop high-level budget directives to guide Superintendent John's leadership team in building the FY24 budget. Members discussed priorities including addressing district-wide curriculum gaps, increasing special-educa...
Select Board
Select Board approves $946K in ARPA spending, proclaims Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Marblehead Select Board unanimously approved approximately $946,000 in ARPA fund allocations across five project areas, including mental health support, hybrid meeting technology, revenue replacement, and a visitor booth upgrade. The board also unanimously proclaimed Janua...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health adopts waste-ban enforcement policy, approves OPM contract amendment
The Board of Health reviewed and discussed the state-mandated waste-ban policy (310 CMR 19.017 3A) for the transfer station, outlining a tiered warning system for account and non-account holders. Members voted to approve a First Amendment to the OPM project management agreemen...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves three school improvement plans, hires nurse
The School Committee approved school improvement plans for Brown, Glover, and Village schools, each focused on teaching and learning, professional culture, and diversity/equity/inclusion. The committee also unanimously hired a new registered school nurse (Vanessa, BSN) and vot...
Board of Health
Board of Health votes 2-1 to adopt Option B for transfer station traffic flow
The Marblehead Board of Health voted 2 to 1 to adopt Option B for the redesigned transfer station, routing residential traffic via Green Street and commercial traffic via Woodman Terrace, rejecting the traffic consultant's recommendation of Option A. Residents from Arnold Terr...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews school improvement plans, bus driver shortage, and DEI initiatives
The Marblehead School Committee met in September 2022 to review school improvement plans from the Veterans Middle School and Marblehead High School, receive an update on a school bus driver shortage affecting the pay-to-ride wait list, and discuss district DEI efforts includin...
Select Board
Adam Smith appointed to Marblehead Light Commission vacancy after eight-candidate interview
The Select Board and Light Commission held a joint meeting to fill a vacant seat on the Light Commission, interviewing eight candidates on seven standardized questions. After two rounds of voting, Adam Smith received a majority and was appointed. The meeting also included appr...
School Committee
School committee approves three policies, debates recess reduction and school schedule
The Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting of the 2022-23 school year, approving revisions to three anti-discrimination and Title IX policies and the district's operating protocols. The meeting featured extended discussion of elementary school schedule changes that...
Board of Health
Transfer Station Facility Committee recommends Option A traffic plan to Board of Health
The Marblehead Transfer Station Facility Committee reviewed a traffic study by VHB comparing two circulation plans for the transfer station. Option A routes all traffic (residential and commercial) through a new Green Street entrance; Option B would route residential traffic t...
School Committee
School committee votes to transfer Beacon Street parcel to Recreation & Park Dept.
The Marblehead School Committee voted unanimously to transfer a parcel at Beacon and Green Streets to the care and custody of the Recreation and Park Department, and to support Article 33 at the annual town meeting. The committee also approved bills totaling approximately $554...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves handbooks, hires Glover nurse, and votes on AV equipment
The School Committee met fully remotely and voted unanimously on several items including approval of all MPS school handbooks, appointment of Mary Talbot RN as Glover School nurse, and a schedule of bills totaling approximately $1,165,116.65. The committee also approved a Poly...
Select Board
Select Board approves North Shore Medical Center lease at $360K/year; appoints ZBA alternate
The Marblehead Select Board held a continued public hearing on a shade tree removal, approving removal of one cherry tree and preservation of a second to accommodate an MBTA bus stop relocation. The board appointed Mark (last name partially unclear from transcript) as ZBA alte...
Select Board
Board continues MBTA tree-removal hearing; approves two police officer hires
The Select Board continued a public hearing on removing two cherry trees on Pleasant Street to accommodate an MBTA ADA bus stop improvement, directing further consultation with the town engineer and arborist on whether one tree can be retained through pruning. The board unanim...
School Committee
Director of Finance presents a zero-based budgeting methodology for FY24
Annual School Committee retreat. The Director of Finance walked through a full zero-based budgeting methodology proposal for the FY24 cycle, an attorney presented Open Meeting Law and Public Records training, and the committee set subcommittee assignments, approved a $873,683....
Select Board
Board approves museum interpretive signs, elevator contracts, and year-end transfers
The Board of Selectmen approved Verizon's petition to relocate a utility pole on Parm Drive, authorized $46,020 in year-end budget transfers across five departments, and approved the Marblehead Museum's request to install two interpretive signs on town property covering indige...
Board of Health
Board of Health reorganizes leadership and reviews transfer station traffic study
The Marblehead Board of Health held its reorganization meeting, electing officers for the coming year and receiving a preliminary traffic study presentation from VHB Engineers regarding the proposed transfer station reconfiguration. The traffic study, not yet finalized, examin...
Select Board
Select Board approves year-end transfers totaling ~$260,095 and several licenses
The board received a stormwater management program update from DPW staff, then approved year-end budget transfers totaling approximately $260,095 drawn primarily from surplus health insurance funds. The board also approved a common victualer license for Eat Well Kitchen, a one...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reorganizes, elects Sarah Fox chair for new term
The Marblehead School Committee held its annual reorganization, unanimously electing Sarah Fox as chair, Emily Barron as vice chair, and Allison Taylor as secretary. Public comment focused heavily on community concerns about bullying, social media conduct by committee members,...
Select Board
Select Board reorganizes, elects new chair; approves $216,938 IT contract with e-plus
The 372nd Annual Convening of the Select Board (now Select Board) began with reorganization, electing a new chair unanimously. The board voted to award a managed IT services contract to e-plus of Canton, Massachusetts in the amount of $216,938. Annual reappointments to boards,...
School Committee
School committee approves superintendent's summative evaluation 4-1, approves FY23 stipend adjustments
The Marblehead School Committee held its final meeting of the year with outgoing member David Harris. The committee voted 4-1 to approve Superintendent Dr. Bucky's summative evaluation after an extended discussion about rating methodology and one member's dissenting concerns. ...
Select Board
Select Board votes 4-1 to approve debt-exclusion override and defers IT contract
The Marblehead Select Board met June 15, 2022 and voted unanimously to sponsor a $24.4 million debt-exclusion override question covering roofs, streets, sidewalks, and trees, to appear on an upcoming ballot. The board approved several routine licenses and contracts, including ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves Joyce family backyard chicken permit over neighbor objections
The Marblehead Board of Health voted to approve a fowl permit for the Joyce family at 17 Haley Road after extended public testimony from neighbors on Hawthorne and Haley Roads who cited coyote safety, rodent, and noise concerns. Board members acknowledged the concerns but note...
School Committee
School Committee approves Piper Field memorial project and MASC transgender sanctuary resolution
The Marblehead School Committee met on June 2, 2022, approving a booster-led fundraising project to renovate the 'Forever Fans' area at Piper Field—estimated at $50,000–$100,000—including a memorial to a recently deceased community member and potential outdoor classroom space....
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves new fowl-keeping regulations, $25 annual permit fee
The Board of Health held a public hearing on May 31, 2022 to adopt updated rules and regulations governing the keeping of fowl in Marblehead. The board voted unanimously to approve three documents: the revised regulations, a permit application form, and an abutters notificatio...
Select Board
Board appoints interim Finance Director and DPW Director in dual-role arrangement
The Select Board approved Michael Kelly (Kelly/Clements per ASR) as interim Finance Director and Amy as combined DPW and Water & Sewer Superintendent, effective May 26, 2022. The board also authorized an MOU with the Marblehead Water and Sewer Commission memorializing the dual...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee votes 3–2 to opt out of school choice for 2022–23
The School Committee held a required public hearing on school choice for the 2022–2023 school year. Superintendent Dr. Bucky recommended participating with 10 total slots (3 kindergarten, 2 grade 4, 5 grade 9), but after committee deliberation the motion to participate failed ...
Select Board
Select Board unanimously appoints Patrick Keeser as Town Administrator
The Marblehead Select Board conducted a full-board interview with Patrick Keeser, the sole remaining finalist for Town Administrator after two other finalists withdrew before the public interview. The screening committee had unanimously recommended Keeser, citing his experienc...
Select Board
Select Board approves parking restriction near tourist booth and two one-day liquor licenses
The Marblehead Select Board held a brief May 11, 2022 meeting, approving minutes from three prior meetings and authorizing the police chief to restrict parking on Essex Street near the tourist booth during upcoming plaza improvements. The board also approved two one-day liquor...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health advances fowl-permit regulations toward public hearing
The Board of Health reviewed a draft regulation for keeping fowl in Marblehead, discussed numerous wording changes, and scheduled a public hearing for May 31, 2022. The board also voted to delegate responses to two open-meeting-law complaints to Special Town Counsel, approved ...
School Committee
School committee schedules three public override education forums after town meeting vote
The Marblehead School Committee met at METCO Inc. headquarters in Roxbury and received updates on the METCO program, DEI professional development, and an incoming Brown School principal. The committee's operating budget increase was confirmed to have passed at town meeting and...
School Committee
School Committee discusses face-covering waiver, DEI mission statement, and facilities MOU
The Marblehead School Committee heard a presentation from its DEI team on a new district-wide mission statement and professional development rollout. The committee discussed a proposed face-covering policy amendment that would allow vaccinated students and staff in buildings r...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee recommends $3.05M school operating override and $24.8M capital debt package
The Marblehead Finance Committee held its annual town warrant review on April 11, 2022, working through all 48 warrant articles. The committee voted to recommend a $3,051,093 Proposition 2½ operating budget override for the school department and a $24,793,917 capital improveme...
Board of Health
Board of Health votes 3-0 to pursue Plan B transfer station renovation over $6M Plan A
The Marblehead Board of Health voted unanimously on April 5, 2022 to pursue Plan B for the transfer station — an approximately $1.5 million renovation that reroutes traffic and adds smaller support buildings — rather than the roughly $6 million new-facility Plan A that would h...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY23 budget public hearing with override context
The Marblehead School Committee convened a public budget hearing on the FY23 operating budget, presented by the superintendent. The budget includes significant personnel additions, technology upgrades, security cameras, free full-day kindergarten, and a new DEI director positi...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee sets $46.6M FY23 budget request for Finance Committee
The School Committee held a pre-meeting work session to align on the FY23 budget figure before a Finance Committee presentation the same evening. The agreed total ask is $46,606,959, which includes $1.29M in payroll/contractual obligations above the FY22 base, $848,000 for spe...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee approves school operating budget at $43.98M, plus selectmen and town department budgets
The Marblehead Finance Committee met on March 28, 2022 to review and vote on multiple FY2023 department budgets. The school department budget was approved at approximately $43.98 million, representing a 5.12% increase over FY22, incorporating contractual obligations and specia...
School Committee
School Committee votes 5-0 to affirm FY23 budget priority list and seek MSBA roof funding
The Marblehead School Committee held its March 17, 2022 meeting via Zoom, voting unanimously to authorize submission of a Massachusetts School Building Authority Statement of Interest for roof repairs at the high school (~$3.9M) and Veterans Middle School (~$170K). The committ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health hears Counseling Center funding plea, transfer station update
The Board of Health received an annual update from the Marblehead Counseling Center, whose representatives described doubled demand since COVID and a waitlist of over 300 residents, and requested an increase in town funding from $60,000 to approximately $120,000. The board ind...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews FY23 budget, hears CPAC survey results, approves bills
The School Committee held its first in-person meeting since COVID, receiving a Special Education CPAC parent survey presentation highlighting anxiety, social skills, executive function, and ADHD as top concerns. The committee reviewed the FY23 needs-based budget, with members ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health hosts public forum on two Transfer Station rebuild options
The Marblehead Board of Health held a public community forum on March 1, 2021 to present two design options for the long-delayed Transfer Station project. Option A, a full redesign by Winter Street Architects estimated at approximately $6.275 million, would integrate a new bui...
School Committee
School committee votes 4-0 to rescind mask mandate effective February 28
The Marblehead School Committee voted 4-0 to rescind its face-coverings policy (EBCFA) effective February 27, making masking optional district-wide when students return from February vacation on February 28. The committee also approved an MOU allowing the Abbot Public Library ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health rescinds indoor mask mandate effective Feb. 12, 2022
The Board of Health voted unanimously to rescind the indoor mask mandate at 12:01 a.m. on February 12, 2022. The board cited declining case rates, falling percent positivity, reduced hospitalizations, and a letter from Mass General Salem supporting relaxation of restrictions. ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee announces mask-optional policy for three schools starting Feb. 7
Superintendent Dr. Bucky announced that the high school, middle school, and Village School would go mask-optional on Monday, February 7, after qualifying for the DESE 80% vaccination waiver. The committee also reviewed a nearly $2.94 million school budget ask and discussed cur...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews transfer station Plan B, schedules March 1 public forum
The Board of Health held a remote meeting on January 28, 2022, covering a COVID-19 data update, mask mandate discussion, and a revised transfer station circulation plan. The board agreed to meet again on February 15 to reassess the mask mandate before its March 8 expiration da...
School Committee
School committee approves FY23 calendar, appoints permanent student services director
The Marblehead School Committee approved the FY2022–23 school calendar unanimously, with a note that the kindergarten/pre-K start date may be adjusted earlier without requiring a full calendar revision. The committee also unanimously appointed Paula Donnelly as permanent Direc...
Board of Health
Board votes to submit two transfer station warrant articles and hold community forums
The Marblehead Board of Health reviewed two design options for the transfer station — a full new building (Option A, estimated at approximately $6.3M) and a renovation of the existing pit structure (Option B, estimated at approximately $1.7M) — presented by architect Dana Wied...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reaffirms indoor mask mandate, defers Transfer Station vote
The Board of Health unanimously reaffirmed its December 29, 2021 emergency order requiring indoor face coverings through March 8, 2022. The board received architect cost estimates for Transfer Station improvements — Option A (new building) at approximately $6.3 million and Opt...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews COVID dashboard, FY22 finances, and 2022-23 calendar
The School Committee heard public concern about COVID dashboard transparency, with district nurses and the superintendent explaining the reporting process tied to the Board of Health. Superintendent presented two draft 2022-23 school year calendars for committee feedback, with...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reaffirms indoor mask mandate through March 8
The Marblehead Board of Health held a December 29, 2021 follow-up meeting to the emergency session two nights prior, at which an indoor mask mandate had been enacted in response to rising Omicron cases. After 30 minutes of public comment featuring both supporters and opponents...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health issues strong indoor mask recommendation through Jan. 15
The Board of Health voted unanimously on December 14, 2021 to strongly recommend that all residents age two and older wear masks in indoor public spaces — including retail, restaurants, bars, and event venues — regardless of vaccination status, effective December 15, 2021 thro...
Board of Health
Board of Health raises transfer station and food permit fees; hears COVID and mental health updates
The Marblehead Board of Health approved increases to several health department permit fees (mobile unit, caterer, and residential kitchen permits from $50 to $175 each) and two transfer station fees (commercial tipping rate from $185 to $210 per ton; mattress disposal from $15...
Board of Health
Board of Health approves $35,300 transfer station design study and public comment policy
The Marblehead Board of Health met on October 12, 2021 and received a COVID-19 update reporting 35 active cases and 1,580 total cases in town. The board voted to approve additional architectural and engineering services totaling $35,300 to develop cost estimates and design dra...
Finance Committee
Finance Committee reorganizes, hears budget overview warning on reserve drawdown
The Board of Selectmen and newly reconstituted nine-member Finance Committee held a joint October 4, 2021 meeting. Town CFO Steve presented a financial overview showing reserves declining toward concerning levels, with school, pension, and health-insurance costs growing faster...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health returns to monthly meetings as COVID metrics improve
The Board of Health met on September 14, 2021 to review COVID-19 case data, vaccination rates, and public health operations. The board discussed the status of a potential indoor mask mandate in public buildings, booster shot planning, and pool testing in schools. The board vot...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to recommend mask-wearing at municipal public meetings
At its August 30, 2021 meeting, the Board of Health reviewed a COVID-19 update showing 20 active cases and approximately 82% of residents fully vaccinated. The board debated a potential indoor mask mandate for all businesses, then narrowed its action to recommending that the B...
School Committee
School committee approves $250 optional bus fee and Green Street bike track access
The Marblehead School Committee held its August 2021 meeting, voting unanimously to approve a $250-per-student optional transportation fee for the 2021–22 school year and unanimously approving a right-of-entry agreement with the BikeMore group for the Green Street property thr...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews COVID back-to-school plan as state mask mandate takes effect
The Marblehead School Committee held a Tuesday evening meeting focused on the district's back-to-school COVID preparedness plan, including a new three-tier testing program, quarantine protocols, and updated health attestation requirements. The board voted 5-0 to approve two pe...
Board of Health
Board approves three school-masking recommendations amid Delta variant concerns
The Marblehead Board of Health voted unanimously to adopt three COVID-19 masking recommendations for the upcoming school year, aligned with DESE and DPH guidance. The board also discussed next steps for the transfer station project, which has approximately $1.25 million remain...
School Committee
School Committee approves interim SPED director and middle school nurse; declares math curriculum surplus
The Marblehead School Committee held a special meeting on August 2021 to interview and vote on two personnel appointments. Dr. Paula Donnelly was approved as Interim Director of Student Services and Kathy Byrne was approved as school nurse at Veterans Middle School. The commit...
School Committee
School committee votes 4-1 to extend superintendent's contract through 2025
The Marblehead School Committee voted 4-1 to extend Superintendent Dr. John Bucky's employment agreement through June 30, 2025, adding two years to the existing contract and granting a 2% COLA increase for the 2021-2022 school year. The committee also unanimously approved a th...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reelects Dr. Velf-Becker as chair, advances polystyrene school exemption review
The Board of Health reorganized for the new year, unanimously re-electing Dr. Todd Velf-Becker as chair, Helene Hazlitt as vice chair, and Michelle Miller as communications officer. The board received a COVID-19 update noting 73% of Marblehead residents are fully vaccinated an...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee elects officers, rescinds mask policy, approves two union contracts
The Marblehead School Committee reorganized for the new year, re-electing Sarah Gold as chair (5-0) and Megan Taylor as vice chair (4-1), and naming Emily Barron as secretary (4-1). The committee unanimously rescinded its face-coverings policy (EBCFA) following updated DESE gu...
School Committee
School committee approves superintendent evaluation 3-1, awards 8 facility contracts
The Marblehead School Committee honored retiring Bell/Coffin School Principal Donna Zasky, heard year-end reports from the student representative and superintendent, and voted 3-1 to approve the superintendent's summative evaluation with two edits. The committee also approved ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health bids farewell to 12-year member Michelle Gottlieb
The Board of Health held its final meeting with member Michelle Gottlieb, who served 12 years on the board. The meeting included a COVID-19 update reporting no positive cases since May 25th and a 68% full vaccination rate in Marblehead. Director Andrew Petty presented updates ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews superintendent evaluation, hears SEL survey, and debates busing policy
The school committee held its last regular meeting before the end of the school year, receiving a student-led social-emotional learning survey presentation from Marblehead High School seniors. The committee conducted the summative evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Bucky, rating...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves sticker rebates, reviews COVID metrics and May 29 reopening rules
The Board of Health approved two facility sticker rebates totaling $110 and received a COVID-19 update showing 1,338 cumulative cases and 62% of residents fully vaccinated as of May 21, 2021. The health director summarized Governor Baker's May 29 reopening order lifting most i...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to adopt updated face-coverings policy with superintendent delegation clause
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular meeting and voted unanimously to reconsider and then adopt revised face-coverings policy EBCFA, adding language allowing the superintendent to amend masking guidance when a committee quorum cannot convene in time. The committee ...
School Committee
School Committee votes 5-0 to update outdoor masking policy, exempting students at recess and athletics
Marblehead School Committee held a special emergency-posted meeting to align the district's masking policy with new DESE guidance issued earlier that week. The committee debated language drafted by legal counsel John Foskett, ultimately voting 5-0 to exempt students from maski...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 on face-covering policy change, 4-1 finding no open-meeting-law violation
The Marblehead School Committee held a brief lottery to seat the Planning for Success strategic-plan advisory committee, then voted unanimously to narrow the district's face-covering policy (EBCF) so masks are required only in school buildings, on school grounds, and at school...
Board of Health
Board approves two fowl permits; COVID guidelines updated for outdoor sports
The Marblehead Board of Health approved fowl permits for 36 Crestwood Road and 16 Roland Street, both reviewed with neighbor sign-off. The board reviewed updated Massachusetts COVID-19 guidelines effective May 10, 2021, which allow certain outdoor sports participants to remove...
School Committee
School Committee votes 3-0 to end mandatory athlete pool testing, approves $3.1M schedule of bills
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular meeting on May 11, 2021, addressing COVID-19 protocols, budget matters, and administrative items. The committee voted 3-0 (with one abstention) to make pool testing for student athletes voluntary rather than mandatory, consisten...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee hears superintendent's entry plan and launches strategic planning process
The Marblehead School Committee received Superintendent John Bucky's formal entry plan, covering observations on communications, curriculum, technology, and governance gathered since January 2020. The superintendent also presented the 'Planning for Success' initiative — a Mass...
Finance Committee
FinCom approves $8.5M library renovation override request and FY22 budget articles
The Finance Committee held its annual town warrant public hearing on April 20, 2021, voting on articles with financial implications for the May 3 town meeting. Major actions included approving a $8.5 million override request for the Abbott Public Library renovation, a $750,000...
School Committee
School committee votes 4-1 to decline school choice participation for 2021-22
The Marblehead School Committee held a public hearing and voted 4-1 to not participate in the school choice program for the 2021-2022 school year, with the dissenting member objecting to the stated rationale of lack of classroom space. The meeting also addressed a social media...
Finance Committee
FinCon approves FY22 school budget at $41.8M and town budget at $36.9M
The Finance Committee held its final FY22 budget hearing on April 12, 2021, approving the Marblehead school department budget at $41,839,543 and the broader Selectmen-administered town budget at $36,856,853.70. Superintendent Dr. Bocky presented a school budget covering contra...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves FY22 operating budget $41.8M, 4-1
The Marblehead School Committee voted 4 to 1 to approve the FY22 operating budget of approximately $41.8 million. One member (Sarah Fox) voted against, citing reliance on one-time revenues to fund recurring costs and concerns that eight administration-identified priorities wer...
Board of Health
Board of Health hears COVID update; member announces she will not seek re-election
At the April 5, 2021 meeting, the Board of Health received a COVID-19 update showing 1,252 cumulative cases, 21 active cases, and approximately 46% of the town population having received a first vaccine dose. The board discussed new state guidance for school events including p...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves ~$3.3M schedule of bills, closes FY22 budget hearing
The Marblehead School Committee held a public hearing on the FY22 school budget of approximately $41.8 million, during which Superintendent Dr. Bucky announced that a previously identified budget gap had been resolved through discussions with Town Administrator Jason Silva. Co...
School Committee
School Committee approves COVID MOA with teachers union 5-0; $331K budget gap remains unresolved
The Marblehead School Committee voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of agreement with the Marblehead Education Association covering COVID-19 distancing and notification requirements, pending legal counsel review. The committee heard a FY22 budget update showing a $331,20...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health selects Mental Health Task Force members
The Board of Health received a COVID-19 update noting 1,213 total cases and high local vaccination rates, with 95% of residents over 75 having received at least one dose. The board selected three members for the new Mental Health Task Force: healthcare professional Kimberly Ho...
School Committee
School Committee reviews FY22 budget priorities, neighborhood bus pilot, and full-day kindergarten proposal
The Marblehead School Committee held a lengthy meeting covering the FY22 budget (totaling approximately $42.1M with an estimated $826K gap to the town allocation), a proposed neighborhood bus pilot program starting with the Beacon Street area, and a proposal to offer free full...
Town Meeting
Reporter previews Marblehead Town Meeting warrant articles ahead of May 3 meeting
Marblehead Reporter journalist Chris Stevens joined the host to preview notable warrant articles for the annual town meeting scheduled for May 3 at the Star of the Sea Church parking lot. Topics discussed include debt-exclusion override articles for a fire department pumper tr...
School Committee
Marblehead schools plan phased full return to in-person learning by late April
The Marblehead School Committee met March 11, 2021 to discuss the district's phased reopening plan, with K–6 students beginning half days March 15 and transitioning to full days April 5, and grades 7–12 beginning half days April 5 before moving to full days April 26. The commi...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health creates COVID Mental Health Task Force
The Board of Health voted to establish the Marblehead COVID Mental Health Task Force, approved its mission statement, and appointed Michelle Gottlieb as chair. The board also accepted four sets of meeting minutes with corrections and received a COVID-19 case and vaccination up...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to mandate COVID pool testing for all student athletes
The Marblehead School Committee held its March 4, 2021 meeting on the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 school closures. The committee voted unanimously to mandate pool COVID testing as a condition of participation in school athletics, with student registration required by Wedn...
School Committee
K-6 set to return five days March 15; 7-12 plan and 3-ft distancing MOU negotiations ongoing
The Marblehead School Committee held its regular meeting, confirming a March 15 start date for full five-day in-person learning for grades K-6 without requiring new union negotiation. A survey was announced for the following day to gather family data on a proposed 7-12 return ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves K–6 return to five half-days in-person starting March 15
The committee voted 4-0-1 to approve Superintendent Bucky's plan moving K–6 students from a hybrid cohort model to five half-days of in-person learning per week, beginning March 15. Principals reported no in-school transmission and said classrooms can maintain six-foot distanc...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves 5-year waste contract, CDC school guidelines
The Board of Health met with Marblehead Counseling Center director Ben to review mental health services and discussed forming a town-wide mental health task force. The board voted to recommend the CDC's operational strategy for K–12 schools and approved entering a five-year wa...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY22 budget workshop covering SPED, tech, food service, and central office
The School Committee met for a two-part budget workshop in which department heads presented FY22 spending requests across student services, athletics, technology, food service, curriculum, facilities, and central administration. Key themes included a projected $250,000 drop in...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health debates school distancing nuance and mental health resources
The Board of Health held its regular COVID-19 update on February 8, 2021, during which one member offered a more nuanced position on the six-foot distancing recommendation, acknowledging emerging evidence while urging protection of unvaccinated teachers. Members reported 1,070...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to name new elementary school after Lucretia and Joseph Brown
The Marblehead School Committee held a lengthy meeting covering pool COVID testing, a return to full in-person learning, the FY22 budget rollout, and the naming of the new elementary school. After ranked-choice voting narrowed the field to two finalists—Anchor and Brown—the co...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews FY22 budget requests and COVID/vaccine update
The Board of Health received a COVID-19 update showing 1,000 cumulative cases, 92 active cases, and 31 deaths as of January 29, 2021, with vaccination clinics paused due to Pfizer shipment delays. The board reviewed FY22 budget requests totaling approximately $2.41 million for...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID case data, vaccination rollout, and FY22 budget
The Board of Health met to discuss pool testing in schools, weekly COVID case statistics, and the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. The board agreed it would not formally recommend for or against the DESI pool-testing pilot, viewing it as the school department's decision. The boar...
School Committee
School Committee approves 2021-22 calendar 4-1; names five finalists for new school
The Marblehead School Committee held a lengthy meeting covering the FY2022 school calendar, pre-K program restructuring with tuition increases, CPAC presentation, a facilities capital request of $224,145, and the building committee update on the new elementary school. The comm...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID metrics, debates school pool testing feasibility
The Board of Health reviewed COVID-19 data showing Marblehead had entered red-community status, with 863 confirmed cases to date, 89 active cases, and a percent-positive rate above 5%. The board discussed the feasibility of pool testing in schools, with public health staff cit...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to return to hybrid learning and approve winter athletic season
The Marblehead School Committee met virtually on January 7, 2021 and voted unanimously to return to hybrid learning starting Monday, January 11, following a presentation by Superintendent John Buckey on a COVID decision-making dashboard and case-count tracker. The committee al...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to sign North Shore joint COVID-19 statement
The Board of Health voted unanimously to authorize its chair to sign a joint statement from nine North Shore communities urging residents to avoid non-essential in-person activities amid rising COVID-19 cases. The board received updates on regional hospital capacity — Beverly ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID order cuts capacity to 25%, vaccine rollout plans
The Board of Health reviewed Governor Baker's COVID-19 Order 59, effective December 26, 2020, which reduced capacity limits to 25% for most sectors and 10 persons indoors for gatherings. Director of Public Health Andrew reported 558 total confirmed cases in Marblehead as of De...
School Committee
School committee votes 5-0 to authorize district superintendent to decide Jan. 4 remote vs. hybrid based on community metrics
The Marblehead School Committee met December 17, 2020 and took several votes on COVID-era school operations. The board approved empowering Superintendent Dr. Bucky to decide whether the week of January 4 would be remote or hybrid based on community health metrics, and voted 4-...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID vaccine rollout, local testing, and school reopening plans
The Board of Health received an update on Massachusetts's COVID-19 vaccine distribution, with 53,625 doses arriving at 17 hospitals and up to 300,000 doses expected statewide by end of December. Local testing through Cataldo and the Broad Institute has processed roughly 684 re...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID restrictions, testing sites, and quarantine rule changes
The Board of Health reviewed significant new state COVID-19 restrictions announced by the governor, including capacity reductions, restaurant rules, and a 90-minute dining time limit. The board announced free COVID-19 testing for Marblehead residents at Temple Emmanuel on four...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves bills, bench donation; hears building update
The School Committee met on December 3, 2020 and approved a schedule of bills totaling approximately $2,394,070 and accepted a bench donation in memory of Robert Till for placement at Piper Field. Superintendent John Buckey presented progress on his year-one goals and introduc...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health discusses COVID protocols, testing options, and school safety
The Board of Health held its regular meeting on November 17, 2020, covering state COVID-19 guidance updates, local case reporting changes, and community testing options. Members discussed the possibility of bringing Cataldo Ambulance to Marblehead for resident testing funded t...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves homeschooling policy update, tables MCAS moratorium resolution
The School Committee held its November 2020 meeting, receiving updates on hybrid learning, health and safety protocols for the Thanksgiving holiday period, fall athletics, and monthly finances. The committee approved updated homeschooling policies (IHBG and IHBGR) and tabled a...
Board of Health
Marblehead COVID-19 Committee reviews rising statewide case counts and new mask order
The committee received a COVID-19 update noting statewide daily new cases exceeded 2,000 for the first time since May, with hospitalizations at 558. The town's new mask order, effective November 6, requires masks in all public spaces indoors and outdoors. Discussion covered th...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee reviews live-streaming tech options and homeschool policy update
The School Committee heard a superintendent's update on fact-finding for live-streaming technology in hybrid classrooms, including a vendor demonstration of a camera-and-microphone system estimated at $78,000 for the high school alone, plus an infrastructure audit underway. Th...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews new statewide COVID orders and Gulliver School case
The Board of Health reviewed three new executive orders (53, 54, and 55) issued by the governor on November 5, 2020, effective November 6, requiring masks in all public places and limiting indoor private gatherings to 10 persons. The board also discussed a positive COVID-19 ca...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee hears public demand for synchronous learning at MHS
The Marblehead School Committee held its October 29, 2020 meeting via Zoom with three members present in the high school library. Public comment was dominated by parents and students urging adoption of synchronous (live-streamed) classroom technology at Marblehead High School,...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID-19 case reporting, town meeting results, school reopening update
The Board of Health met on October 19, 2020 to discuss COVID-19 case reporting changes, outcomes from a recent town meeting, and updates from the school reopening committee. Marblehead reported 287 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up two from the prior week, and had entered the state...
Town Meeting
Town Meeting adopts blue-light snow-emergency parking system after defeating historic-district carve-out
Marblehead's adjourned Annual Town Meeting (Part 2) worked through roughly 36 warrant articles on October 17, 2020. The meeting's main contested items were a new snow-emergency blue-light parking framework (Article 13), which passed after voters rejected an amendment to exclud...
Town Meeting
Preview of Marblehead Special Town Meeting set for October 17, 2020
Journalist Chris Stevens joined the host to preview articles on the October 17 special town meeting warrant, held outdoors at the Spee Community Center parking lot. Key articles discussed include raising snow-emergency parking fines to $200, a Village/Vine/Pleasant Street inte...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves Halloween guidance and takes positions on three Town Meeting articles
The Board of Health voted to approve a Halloween safety guidance document covering low-risk, moderate-risk, and higher-risk activities, delegating final editing authority to Health Agent Andrew. The board also approved statements on three upcoming Town Meeting articles: opposi...
School Committee
Parents demand remote-learning forum as Marblehead schools prepare for hybrid expansion
The Marblehead School Committee held its September 2020 meeting largely focused on hybrid and remote learning concerns. Multiple parents and students raised issues about instructional hours, curriculum quality in outsourced programs (Edgenuity, VHS), and the absence of live te...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reviews COVID updates and reopening rules for fall 2020
The Board of Health approved minutes from September 9th and an amended version of the September 15th meeting. The health director provided a COVID-19 case update (272 total cases), summarized Governor Baker's October 5th phase three step two reopening for lower-risk communitie...
School Committee
School Committee votes 5-0 to approve fall sports season starting September 23
The Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting of the 2020–21 school year via Zoom, approving fall athletics (excluding football, cheer, unified basketball, and volleyball) to begin practice September 23 under MIAA safety protocols. The committee also awarded a tempora...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health approves emergency order banning exhalation-valve face coverings
The Board of Health held a public hearing and unanimously approved an emergency order effective September 18, 2020 prohibiting face coverings with exhalation valves in essential businesses, with violations subject to fines up to $1,000. The board also received a COVID-19 case ...
School Committee
School Committee approves handbooks and MEA memorandum of agreement ahead of Monday opening
The Marblehead School Committee held first readings of two updated policies — a revised Title IX sexual harassment policy (ACAB) and a COVID-related supplemental policy (EBC) — without voting, as both require additional readings before action. The committee approved handbook c...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to recommend schools prohibit valve masks, schedules Sept. 15 emergency meeting
The Board of Health approved amended August meeting minutes and received a COVID-19 update showing 264 total positive cases, fewer than five active cases, and a 0.38% positivity rate. The board voted to strongly recommend that the Marblehead School Committee prohibit masks wit...
School Committee
School committee votes to explore fall sports restart beginning October 2
The Marblehead School Committee held its first meeting of the 2020-21 school year, receiving updates on facilities readiness for COVID-era reopening, professional development, and athletics. The committee voted unanimously to direct the high school principal and athletic direc...
School Committee
School Committee approves interim MOA allowing educators remote PD work pending HVAC inspections
The Marblehead School Committee held a special meeting to consider an interim memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Marblehead Education Association (MEA) covering the period through September 14, 2020. The MOA allows educators uncomfortable returning to buildings to perform ...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to support mask enforcement and valve-mask ban in schools
The Board of Health voted to recommend that the Marblehead school department dismiss students who refuse to wear a mask after being offered one, and separately voted to recommend the school committee exclude masks with valves from its mask policy. The meeting featured extended...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee approves face-mask policy and 2020-21 school calendar
The School Committee convened for a special meeting focused on COVID-19 reopening planning, hearing reports from nine subcommittees on teaching/learning, facilities, transportation, technology, health/safety, and food service. The committee approved a revised 2020-21 school ca...
Board of Health
Board reviews COVID-19 Order 46 extending gathering limits to private property
The Marblehead Board of Health reviewed Governor Baker's COVID-19 Order 46, which for the first time extended gathering limits and mask requirements to private property, including homes and backyards. Outdoor gatherings are now capped at 50 people and indoor gatherings at 25, ...
School Committee
School Committee approves three-phase reopening plan with early-learner phase-in commitment
The Marblehead School Committee voted unanimously to accept a three-phase school reopening plan presented by Superintendent John, with a recommendation that early learners (K-3) be phased in before October 5th where possible. Members debated the challenges of remote learning f...
School Committee
School Committee adjourns reopening meeting after Zoom hits 300-person limit
The Marblehead School Committee called the meeting to order on August 7, 2020 then immediately recessed to attempt to expand the Zoom account beyond its 300-participant cap. After staff were unable to increase capacity that evening, the committee voted to adjourn and reschedul...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health votes to recommend schools follow CDC and Mass DPH COVID-19 guidelines
The Marblehead Board of Health held its regular meeting on August 4, 2020, receiving COVID-19 updates from Director of Public Health Andrew Petty and hosting members of the school reopening committee, including Superintendent Dr. Bucky. The board discussed mask protocols, test...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee votes 4-1 to solicit legal counsel proposals; discusses hybrid reopening plan
The School Committee voted 4-1 to direct the chair, incoming superintendent, and a committee member to draft a letter soliciting proposals from legal firms on the MASC list to review district legal representation. The committee also received an extended presentation from Super...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health sets Sept. 1 plastic-bag grace period, approves John Deere loader lease and Counseling Center contract
The Board of Health received a COVID-19 update reporting 243 total cases and fewer than five active cases, with the majority linked to travel outside New England. The board voted on three action items: a September 1 deadline for food establishments to exhaust remaining plastic...
Board of Health
Marblehead Board of Health reports 237 cumulative COVID-19 cases, 30 deaths as of July 9
Health Director John Caswell provided a COVID-19 update as of Monday, July 6, 2020, reporting 237 cumulative confirmed cases, 8 active cases, and 30 deaths. He reminded residents of the 14-day self-quarantine requirement for travelers arriving from outside the New England stat...
School Committee
New Superintendent Dr. John Bucky addresses School Committee for first time
The Marblehead School Committee held its regularly scheduled meeting on July 8th, marking the first appearance of new Superintendent Dr. John Bucky. Bucky praised the outgoing interim superintendent Phil McCaldiff and the administrative team, then outlined the state Department...
Finance Committee
Marblehead FinCom approves FY21 balanced budget; postpones four pay-schedule articles
At its June 22, 2020 Warrant Article Hearing, the Marblehead Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend all fiscal articles on the 17-article town meeting warrant. The committee approved a $97,247,984 departmental expenses article and numerous capital and construction it...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee discusses fall reopening plan and superintendent farewell
The Marblehead School Committee met on June 18th to discuss planning for school reopening in fall 2020, pending guidance from DESE expected imminently. A school reopening committee structure was proposed, to be chaired by the superintendent and including administrators, teache...
School Committee
School Committee aligns on four FY21 capital priorities and debates administrator pay freeze
The Marblehead School Committee met to finalize capital outlay priorities and discuss use of an approximately $225,000 FY20 budget surplus. Members reached consensus on four capital items — Coffin School entry doors, Marblehead High School security entry, a capital facilities ...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee holds FY21 budget public hearing; vote set for June 18
The School Committee held a public hearing on the FY21 school budget on June 8, 2020. The proposed budget was adjusted downward from $41.4 million to $40.5 million, a reduction of over $900,000 from the February draft. Discussion focused on budget goals including special educa...
School Committee
FY21 budget hearing on $40.5M proposal; ZBB conversation that opens the catalog chain
Three-hour Zoom public hearing on the FY21 school budget. Outgoing Superintendent McAlduff walked the public through a $40,521,000 proposal (down $919,961 from the original February proposal), detailed twelve specific reductions made through the COVID-disrupted budget cycle, a...
School Committee
League of Women Voters hosts 2020 School Committee Candidates Night remotely
The League of Women Voters of Marblehead held its 2020 Candidates Night remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in partnership with MHTV. Four candidates — Emily Barron, Sarah Gold, Katherine Martin, and Jennifer Schaffner — answered questions about remote learning and superint...
School Committee
Marblehead School Committee votes 5–0 to appoint Nan Murphy as Assistant Superintendent
The Marblehead School Committee held a special meeting to interview and vote on the appointment of Nan Murphy as the next Assistant Superintendent of Schools, subject to successful contract negotiation. Murphy, currently a school improvement specialist at the Massachusetts Dep...
School Committee
School Committee approves teacher MOA and tennis court contract; FY20 budget projects $202K surplus
The Marblehead School Committee met remotely via Zoom on May 7, 2020 during the COVID-19 school closure. The committee approved a memorandum of agreement with the Marblehead Educational Association covering remote learning expectations, awarded a $55,485 tennis court resurfaci...
School Committee
School Committee reviews remote learning plan, budget timeline shifted to June 29 Town Meeting
The superintendent outlined a revised budget schedule working backward from a June 29 Town Meeting date, projecting a public hearing the week of May 18, a Finance Committee meeting the week of May 25, and a final School Committee budget vote on June 4. Guidance from the Massac...