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.