the budget crisis
analysis + answers, and what we can do about it
digging deeper
municipal
budgeting 101
Fiscal Year 2026 at a glance
Generated from:
Property Tax: $51.4 M
State Aid: $4 M
Local Receipts: $4.4 M
Enterprise: $0.3 M
Other: $1.2 M
A couple interesting points to highlight:
- What counts as a 'shared expense' is a policy choice. Over the years, select town costs have been siphoned into shared costs (HR, IT, SROs) distorting budget figures and equitable funding allocation.
- These classifications reduce the pool of revenue before the 61/39 split is applied, which in turn lowers what reaches the schools.
- Since fixed and shared costs are removed before splitting the school and town budgets, the schools proportion of the budget is closer to 42% historically, not 61%
- Additionally, disparate redress for high inflation continues to threaten school funding. The Town Budget outpaced inflation while the School Budget lagged. As a result, Schools are now seeing a 40% funding level (typically 42%)
- That roughly 2% shift represents more than $1 million annually
$61.3M
REVENUE
$55.8M
$40.5M
AFTER TRANSFERS
Funds impact the operating budget, but are spent later:
Capital Fund $2.1M
Road Fund $0.8M
School Capital $1.5M
Others $0.6M
Remaining
Shared budget
Costs deducted for:
Human Resources, School Resource Officers (SROs), Chief Information Officer; Debt, Pensions, Health Insurnace
School Budget
Town Budget
$15.7M
$24.8M
39% Town / 61% Schools
Shared Budget Split
Generated from:
Property Tax: $51.4 M
State Aid: $4 M
Local Receipts: $4.4 M
Enterprise: $0.3 M
Other: $1.2 M
$61.3M
REVENUE
$55.8M
$40.5M
AFTER TRANSFERS
Funds impact the operating budget, but are spent later:
Capital Fund $2.1M
Road Fund $0.8M
School Capital $1.5M
Others $0.6M
Remaining
Shared budget
Costs deducted for:
Human Resources, School Resource Officers (SROs), Chief Information Officer; Debt, Pensions, Health Insurnace
School Budget
Town Budget
$15.7M
$24.8M
39% Town / 61% Schools
Shared Budget Split
Town Departments
IT's operating budget has increased 80% the last 6 years, police operating budget has increased 50% the last 6 years including 11% this year, the fire operating budget budget increased 12% this year. While facilities has been virtually flat and DPW has increased below the inflation rate. Couple this with a public safety facility project at 135 King Street that was promised to have "guardrails" of $10.5 million - but came in at $27 million, and you have a problem with funding equity across departments. In a time of tightening budgets, some departments shouldn't suffer while others grow.
schools
The overall school budget has not kept up with inflation over the last 6 years and has fallen from 42% to 40% of the town's revenue. This resulted in nearly $500,000 in fees added to parents for kindergarten, parking, athletics, and transportation last year; then cuts to programming, educator positions, educator hours, and instructional supplies to close a budget gap of nearly $1,000,000 this year.
South Shore Regional Emergency Communication center
This regional dispatch center services Hingham, Hull, Cohasset and Norwell. Cohasset's significant increase in call volume increased our share of cost by $100,000. This year's budget moves a portion of these costs to the shared budget, which means it reduces the school budget. The call volume increase was almost completely attributed to officer generated calls, not 911 calls.
Facilities
We continue to make the case for new buildings based on the failed maintenance of our existing buildings; yet, the facilities budget was cut this year and has been essentially flat for 4 years. These buildings can last 100 or more years if properly maintained, and we can avoid costly capital projects with investment in maintenance and upkeep.
Here are a few key funding changes in the FY 2027 proposed budget, to be approved by vote at the All Town Meeting on May 4, 2026.
CLICK TO LEARN MORE
Proposed FY 2027 Budget
CRITICAL
funding
changes
what can we do?
Pack the board
and committees
Transformative change requires some level of consensus from Cohasset's Select Board, School Committee, Capital Budget Committee, and Advisory Committee. The May 9 All Town Election is the first phase of packing our local governing bodies with innovative leaders to help implement transparent, value-based, sound investment practices.
our long-term electoral strategy begins may 9th
The Town's executive body that can set the policy agenda
* 3 open positions: Invest in Cohasset supports
William Ashton and Jennifer Chu
Makes recommendations for the best interest of the Town--necessary to garner support
* 1 open position
Creates the School Budget, the largest town department
* 2 open positions: Invest in Cohasset supports Victoria Lattanzi and Danielle Ziady
3
2
1
9 appointed members
* 3 openings this year
Cohasset citizens
We can only move forward together! Here's what you can do to make sure your tax dollars are working for you: attend meetings, talk to friends, make public comments and vote!
step 1 vote 5/9
Invest in Cohasset proudly endorses these 2026 candidates for the Cohasset Select Board and Cohasset School Committee.
The first step in a long-term strategy to move forward together.
our candidates
CANDIDATE FOR SELECT BOARD, 3-YEAR TERM
Will ASHTON
Will has lived in Cohasset since 2015 when he left active-duty Army service. His professional career has included time in banking, the army, construction management, and now real estate development – he is currently an SVP at IQHQ. In the community, Will is on the Conservation Commission, the Public Safety Facility Committee, the Open Space and Recreation Committee, and the St. Stephen’s Vestry. He is a major in the Army Reserve and has an A.B. in Economics from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Operations from Boston University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamashton01/
@willashtonforcohasset
william.ashton07@gmail.com
CANDIDATE FOR School committee, 3-YEAR TERM
Victoria Lattanzi
Victoria’s Cohasset roots go back to the late 1950’s when her grandfather was a math teacher and then Principal of Cohasset High School. Her mom has been a proud CHS math teacher since 2004 and varsity field hockey coach since 2010. She grew up in Milton, then moved to Cohasset in 2015. Her professional career started in the lab, then shifted to clinical trial management – she is currently an Associate Director at eGenesis. In the community, she is a Girl Scout Troop Leader & Service Unit Coordinator and was a member of the School Finance Director search committee. She has an Sc.B. in Biology from Brown University and an M.S. in Clinical Investigation from Boston University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-lattanzi-3b73097/
@lattanziforcohasset
victoria.lattanzi@gmail.com
CANDIDATE FOR Select board, 2-YEAR TERM
Jennifer Chu
Jen was born in East Cambridge and is a graduate of North Quincy High. After spending time in Madrid, she returned home to earn her business degree from UMASS. In 2015, Jen chose to make Cohasset her home, drawn by its strong schools and close-knit community. As a mother, she is deeply invested in preserving and strengthening those qualities. For 15 years, Jen has built her career at Granite Telecommunications. In her current role, she has focused on partnering with federal agencies to modernize technology and reduce costs. She is committed to thoughtful leadership, transparent decision making, and putting residents first.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-brams-chu/
@jenchuforcohasset
jenniferleachu@gmail.com
fiscal responsibility
Restore public trust in the process by developing a disciplined, data-driven budget approach that weighs equitable tradeoffs in the public’s best interest
dedicated to transparncy
Committed to honest and informed communication. Willing to ask unpopular questions; unwilling to accept “because that’s how we’ve always done it.”
trusted experience
Will - Previous town committees, real estate development + Army Reserve; Victoria - rich Cohasset School family history + Instructor of Ethics at BU Med; Jen - federal contractor + business sector leadership.
Every vote is a choice.
We encourage you to vote for WILL ASHTON ONLY and leave the other ovals blank to concentrate support.
Click to download the flyer
Stay connected, engaged, and up-to-date on the latest updates and announcements as they drop.
@investincohasset
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