At its meeting on Wednesday, the School Committee voted to recommend a fiscal year 2026 budget that will increase this year’s operating budget by 2.5 percent. Although I am obligated to support the committee’s decision, I would like to explain why I dissented and voted against this budget.

According to Superintendent Klingaman, the 2.5 percent budget forces the district to eliminate more than 20 positions across our schools as of June 30. Such draconian cuts in staff will result in increased class sizes, as well as a reduction in course offerings at the middle and high schools. And these are just a few of the austerity measures that will erode the important quality-of-learning experience that Duxbury students and families rightfully expect.

I simply could not vote to support a budget that devastates our school system.

By contrast, the “real needs” budget option would have maintained services at current levels, while still exercising financial responsibility. For example, as a result of a decline in student enrollment and other factors, six positions would have been eliminated in this budget. While no one wants to lay off educators, fiscal prudence calls for the necessary downsizing.

The “real needs” budget is just that—real needs. It’s not by any means irresponsible or even aspirational.

I was also frustrated by what appeared to be a breakdown in process. Unlike past years, the Finance Committee voted its budget recommendation earlier in the week, in advance of the School Committee vote. This reversal of the usual order—coupled with a bewildering claim that an acceptance of the real needs budget would somehow result in the schools siphoning funds from other town departments—did not make sense to me, and in my view confused the discussion.

The bottom line is that I did not find anything in the real needs budget that is not critical to enabling DPS to fulfill its mission.

The 2.5 percent austerity budget, on the other hand, erases our progress and puts the district on a backward path.