Cohasset School Committee Votes to Begin Five-Year Financial Outlook, Weighing Override

COHASSET -- June 24, 2026, Cohasset School Committee votes to launch a five-year district outlook as a first step toward a potential tax override. The committee voted 5-0 Wednesday to direct Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon to prepare a comprehensive five-year enrollment and programming report intended to anchor formal funding talks with the Select Board, which would control any Proposition 2½ override ballot question. Chair Corey Evans framed the directive as overdue groundwork, saying "this may be performative, but it's more than we've done before." The board also learned that state Senator Patrick O'Connor secured a one-time $70,000 state budget earmark flowing directly to the school budget, and Shannon confirmed department head stipends cut in FY27 will be reinstated. The district finished FY26 with a positive uncommitted balance of $22,383. The committee accepted $12,017.50 from the Cohasset PSO, the final installment of a three-year, $50,000 library refurbishment, and $3,960 from the Cohasset Education Foundation for teacher AI tools, both 5-0.