Selectmen approve Halloween hours, hear school funding plea

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of October 13, 2026

HOLDEN — Wachusett Regional School District told Holden officials its state funding ranks near the bottom statewide, urging a joint advocacy push. Superintendent Jim Riley said the district is 83rd of 87 non-vocational regional districts and 11th of 11 in its comparison group for state aid, even as Wachusett towns commit "approximately 60%" of their tax levy to education. Riley projected a 4.5 to 5 percent FY28 budget increase, plans to apply $5.9 million in circuit-breaker funds and at least $1 million in excess and deficiency to offset town assessments, and flagged a roughly 10 percent enrollment drop since 2018.

Select Board member Renzoni said Holden is "picking up 47 percent" of other towns' deferred capital costs through the shared budget. Select Board member Adams asked whether even 200-plus "hold harmless" districts statewide have "a bigger voice" to change the funding formula. The board separately approved Halloween trick-or-treating hours of 5 to 8 p.m. and reappointed Anna Gregory to the Cultural Council through 2029.

In the full story:

• Appointments, Licenses and Permits: Cultural Council Reappointment
• Joint Session With the Finance Committee and Wachusett Regional School District
• Building Capacity, Redistricting and Enrollment Trends
• State Funding Formula and Legislative Advocacy
• Halloween Trick-or-Treating Hours
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,639 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of October 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.