Stoneham Schools Face 39 Position Cuts After Override Fails

STONEHAM — April 3, 2025 — Stoneham School Committee convenes emergency session after override fails, confronting 39 potential staff cuts and a new state busing mandate. Meeting April 3 in a session called outside the regular schedule, the committee heard from Superintendent David Youngberg and budget director Leah Dumas that the FY25 budget is surviving on a $100,000 emergency reserve draw — leaving a balance of roughly $243,000 to reach June 30 — while the FY26 reduction plan calls for 27 certified and 12 non-certified position cuts plus more than $200,000 in programmatic reductions. A state-ordered busing mandate, triggered by a Program Review Services complaint, requires the district to transport 85 students living two or more miles from school beginning April 28 at a cost of $97,200 for FY26, a figure Youngberg said is not yet accounted for in the published cut list. "Everyone working for the Stoneham Public Schools has been overriding the town's budget for years with their own paychecks," said Jason Epskrier, SEA president, noting he would earn $34,000 more annually in Lexington. Chair Catherine Dennehy said a tri-board meeting with the Select Board and Finance and Advisory Board is being arranged before April school vacation, with the committee required to adopt a line-item budget by May 1 for Town Meeting.