LtE: Reading Override

Dear Editor,

I’m writing to urge my fellow Reading resident to vote yes on next month’s Proposition 2 ½ Override.

As a homeowner, a resident, and most importantly as a parent of three children in public schools, my family benefits every day from what Reading provides: strong public schools, safe streets, responsive emergency departments, a good library, and the many less-visible town services that make our community work. Maintaining those services requires experienced people and adequate funding.

I recognize that an override asks more of taxpayers. The Town estimates that the $6.5 million override would add about $736 per year for the average single-family property. That is meaningful money for families, including mine.

But this request comes at a time when communities across Massachusetts are confronting rising costs, inflation, and constrained state support. Reading cannot indefinitely absorb those pressures without reducing the quality-of-life services residents depend upon.

Reading’s track record also gives me confidence. The last operational override, approved in 2018 for $4.15 million, was expected to last only three to five years. Instead, Reading stretched it for nearly nine. The override before that in 2003, lasted 15 years. To me, that demonstrates fiscal responsibility and careful stewardship of the money voters entrusted to the Town.

As a parent, I am particularly concerned about our schools. I want Reading to continue supporting classroom teachers, manageable class sizes, adjustment counselors, full-day kindergarten, and the other resources that help our children succeed. Strong schools benefit not only families with children in the system, but our entire community.

The consequences extend beyond our schools. The Town projects that without the override, approximately 67 positions would be eliminated across schools and municipal government, including 8–9 public-safety positions. Those are real reductions to the people and services our community relies upon.

Nobody enjoys paying higher taxes. For my family, this vote comes down to what kind of community we want to maintain and whether Reading has earned our confidence to use additional revenue responsibly.

Based on its track record—and on what I want Reading to continue providing for my children, my neighbors, and our entire community—I’m voting yes on November 3.

Sincerely,

S. Jordan Kerns