Stoneham Tri-Board Backs Tiered Override Structure, Eyes December 9 Ballot

STONEHAM -- October 7, 2025, Stoneham's three governing boards edged toward a tiered property-tax override ballot question at a packed October 7 tri-board meeting, with a December 9 special election less than 10 weeks away. The meeting drew roughly 100 educators and multiple public commenters urging full school funding, including Stoneham Educators Association President Jason Epskrier, who said teachers are paid 30 percent below market value and that the district began the year 28 positions short. Most Select Board and Finance Advisory Board members backed a tiered structure built around the Override Study Committee's recommended $12.5 million, three-year figure, though Select Board member Dave pushed back: "The number is 12.5. I don't know how much clearer everything can be in the paperwork." Finance Advisory Board member Joe warned that the last no vote had already cut the town's annual capital requests roughly in half, from about $1.25 million to $1.5 million down to approximately $750,000, with streets and sidewalks receiving only $100,000 this cycle. The boards voted 4-1 to authorize the Select Board chair to finalize and post a public opinion survey, targeting a 10-day window closing around October 17, and directed town staff to produce line-by-line cost breakdowns for each override item so tiers can be built from the ground up before a number is set.