ALL THREE OVERRIDES PASS

Voters in Tuesday’s town election approved three Proposition 2½ overrides for the schools, police and fire departments totaling $6.1 million. The decision will increase residential property taxes by about 16 percent.

By FRED HANSON

Randolph School Committee Chairman Larry Azer celebrates voters’ approval of a $5.48 million override. Photo by Lisa Bul

Minutes after the result was announced, school committee Chairman Larry Azer started handing out cigars.

“Aside from the birth of my second daughter, this has been the happiest day of the past five years of my life,” said Azer, who has been on the committee since 2003.

In a town election with the largest turnout in a quarter-century, Randolph voters approved a $5.48 million override for the school system by a 677-vote margin.

Questions that would add $411,322 for the police department and $200,000 for the fire department enjoyed even larger margins of victory, both supported by more than two-thirds of the voters.

“I’m thrilled the fire question passed, but I’m even more thrilled that all three passed,” Fire Chief Charles Foley said. “The community stepped up to support itself.”

It marks the first time since Proposition 21/2 was adopted in an 1980 referendum that Randolph voters approved an override to supplement the town’s operating budget. Last year, a $4.16 million override for the schools and other town departments failed by a 418-vote margin, the third such defeat in four years.

The override will increase residential property taxes by about 16 percent, based on estimates from the town’s assessors. For a home valued at $321,062 - the average in Randolph - the overrides will increase the taxes by $498.

The override will add six patrol officers to the police department, bringing it to a total of 59. The fire department will gain four firefighters for a total of 54.

Supporters of an override for the schools celebrate as the vote results are announced. Photo by Lisa Bul

Much of the focus has been on the schools. The state Board of Education designated the school system as underperforming in November, and a vote that could result in a state takeover of the system is set for June. School officials warned that Randolph High School could lose its accreditation without added programs. School enrollment has dropped 24 percent over the past six years.

“Our kids are the winners on this,” Randolph High School Principal William Conard said of the override vote.

School Superintendent Richard Silverman said the town has taken “a wonderful step” toward rebuilding its school system.

“I think we’ve begun the turnaround,” Silverman said. “This gives us the resources to stop the slide and begin the climb back up. We’re ready to do it, and we’re excited to do it.”

Approval of the override allows the system to add 56 full-time jobs, 45 of them either teachers or school counselors, and expand program offerings. Sports and other extracurricular programs this year are to be restored after being cut in half this school year.

Without the override, the school system would have needed to cut 19 full-time jobs, eliminate all sports and extra-curricular programs, and close buildings nights and weekends because of rising costs.

Kathleen Haire, the head of the pro-override group Support a Future for Randolph, said she was “very pleased our supporters got out and our strategy worked.”

For the second year in a row, the override supporters did little public campaigning. Rather, they worked to identify their supporters and make sure they got to the polls Tuesday.

“A corner has been turned, and I hope people’s awareness of what’s going on in town will lead towards working to improve the town,” she said.

The school override carried six of the town’s eight precincts. The only exceptions were Precincts 3 and 6, where opponents had majorities of 11 and 10 votes, respectively.

Voters interviewed as they left the polls at Randolph High School said they were willing to sacrifice to improve town services and maintain their property values.

Oscar Santos took his two young children to the polls as he voted in favor of all three override questions.

“If we don’t invest in our schools, we can’t invest in anything. It’s about what you value,” he said.

Defeating the override would cost residents more in the long run, he said, in terms of higher crime and the costs of keeping someone in prison.

Terry Cox said she’s “willing to let my taxes go up and sacrifice for the kids in school, the police and the fire departments. We have to do something.”

Natasha Bello, a retired teacher, also voted in favor of all three overrides.

“I’m willing to tighten my belt” to pay the increased taxes, she said. “I’ve seen firsthand what has happened to the town over the years. As a teacher and a parent, I’m very saddened by what has happened to this town.”

Stan Zavatsky voted against all three override questions.

“I don’t think the school committee does a good job. I don’t think (the police and fire departments) need more people,” Zavatsky said.