Andover Town Meeting Approves $79.3M School Budget

ANDOVER, MA — Approved by the Andover School Committee but rejected by the Andover Finance Committee, it was up to Town Meeting on Monday to decide if it would pass the $79.3 million school budget, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

In the end, Town Meeting passes the School Committee's $79,337,171 Fiscal Year 2018 budget, a 4.2 percent increase over this fiscal year, according to the Eagle-Tribune.

The Finance Committee had approved a $79,143,171 school budget proposed by Town Manager Andrew Flanagan, which represents a 4 percent increase.

School officials explained that fixed costs in the operating budget were growing at a rate twice that of revenues, which made growth rates in the school budget unsustainable, the Eagle- Tribune wrote.

After the budget items were voted on town moderator Sheila Doherty announced that Joanne Marden, who has served on the Finance Committee for 39 years, was retiring.

For more on this story read the Eagle-Tribune.