The Harvard Special Education Parent Advisory Council is writing to encourage town residents to support both tiers of the Proposition 21/2 override that we will vote on at the upcoming Town Meeting and Town Election.
An additional special education teacher was requested in last year’s Tier 2 budget that was voted down. It has been proposed again this year, because we need this position.
Declining mental health in adolescents has become evident all over the country. Social-emotional programs in schools have been developed to respond to this need. They are not unique; most local and DESE-comparable districts have these programs. Starting one in Harvard means we have the potential to serve more students in their home district with their peers instead of referring them to more restrictive and ultimately more expensive placements.
In FY25 Harvard spent over $900,000 on placements of this type—nearly an order of magnitude more than the cost of a special education teacher. Let’s not kick the can down the road again when it comes to the needs of Harvard and Devens students. Approving both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 override amounts is the fiscally and educationally responsible decision.
Aspen Ference and Jenny Gillard
Harvard SEPAC co-chairs,
