Council to hear Newburyport override request

A proposed $1.6 million override for the Newburyport public schools faces its first major hurdle Monday night (March 26), when the City Council considers a School Committee request to call a special election in late May.

A ballot committee in favor of the override, Yes for Newburyport, is expected to present a petition to the council at its meeting urging it to act favorably on the School Committee’s request.

An override has never appeared on the ballot in Newburyport, although voters have taken up and approved two debt exclusions. The School Committee says the proposed override is needed because of severe cuts the district has suffered the last few years and additional ones it faces next year.

Stay tuned for the City Council's response.

-- John Laidler