One of our priorities at Special Town Meeting is the Citizen’s Petition for Tuition-Free Full-Day Kindergarten—but that’s only the tipping point for our larger mission.

We’re not about one issue, or separating issues—they all work together and affect each other. This has been a catalyst to the larger issue:

• Delivering on campaign promises, constituent voices, and democracy

• Fiscal responsibility and transparency in Cohasset

Advisory Board Discussion

The Advisory Board recently had their initial discussion about the petition, which you can watch here (the kindergarten discussion begins around 1:02:00).

This is not about “offsetting two hours of daycare,” as Vince Thornton said. It’s about our priorities as a town and what we value. It’s about less words and more action.

Why These Issues Are Connected

Instead of separating issues, we know they all affect each other and, most importantly, the outcomes we envision for our town.

• Kindergarten and the RTF Enterprise Fund are both operating budget issues driven by huge increases in specific areas of the budget. Read more about the budget here.

• The Public Safety Building must be considered alongside other capital budgets, including:

  • Stabilization funds added last year

  • Middle-High School project

  • Fire Station project

  • Water Department project

All of these projects will add significantly to the debt load in the operating budget—so cost consciousness is paramount.

Living Within Our Means

As Advisory Committee Chair Jeanne Astino said:

“We have to live within our means.”

And in Cohasset, our means are pretty generous. We’re in the top 10% of spending per capita of all towns in the state. That means we should be able to fund the priorities of citizens without adding new fees or closing the transfer station—we just need to do it.

Why This Matters

Regardless of where you stand on the kindergarten issue, our work—education, advocacy, and our mission—impacts you and your family.