Medfield School Committee Votes to Sponsor $221,000 Literacy Warrant Article

PEPPERELL -- March 26, 2026, Medfield School Committee hears bus fee plan, budget compromise as public demands apology from vice chair. Six residents opened the March 26 meeting demanding a public apology from Vice Chair Diana Fraschella, who they said accused community volunteer Dick Judge at a prior session of possessing "creepy photos of children", a charge Judge called "a lie", and then made an obscene gesture captured on live TV; no committee member responded. The committee then heard a proposal to charge up to $300 per student for bus transportation, with maximum annual revenue estimated at $240,000 against approximately 800 eligible riders, and net revenue after staffing costs estimated at $80,000 to $110,000; administration was directed to prepare a survey and a fiscal year 2027 implementation timeline. Warrant Committee representatives Steven and Ed presented a compromise budget scenario of 3.64 percent school growth and 3.33 percent town growth for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, requiring roughly $606,000 in school-side reductions if the Proposition 2½ override passes, 94 percent of total cuts across both budgets, with the imbalance drawing pushback from committee members who said it would be difficult to explain to residents. The committee unanimously sponsored a $221,000 K-through-5 literacy program town meeting warrant article, to be funded through free cash.