Marshfield Schools Face 66-Position Cut List; Committee Votes to Pressure Select Board on Override

MARSHFIELD — March 31, 2026 — Marshfield School Committee receives first-read list of 66 potential staff cuts totaling nearly $6 million. Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan and Director of Finance Tom Miller presented a 66.2-position, $5,946,016 cut scenario at the March 31 meeting, covering every school level and including the possible closure of one elementary school, elimination of freshman sports, two music educators, five English teachers, all five elementary assistant principals, and 14 kindergarten education support professionals. School Committee Chair Kevin Costello delivered an extended chair's statement accusing Select Board Chair Eric Kelly of "targeting the schools" by directing 63 percent of town-wide cuts at a department responsible for none of the budget shortfall. "It's unconscionable," Costello said. The committee voted 5-0 to send a formal letter to the Select Board urging members to place a $7 million Proposition 2½ override before voters; town meeting is set for June 15. Miller's mid-year FY26 review showed the district has already consumed 97.3 percent of its budget, with only roughly $800,000 remaining, and flagged a newly disclosed $168,000 DPW charge for water, sewer, and trash services historically covered as a town-side paper transaction. The committee tentatively scheduled a public budget workshop for April 29.