Boards table budget items, debate Nahant fund

Select Board · Meeting of January 21, 2026

Swampscott's Select Board, School Committee and Finance Committee spent over three hours reviewing town-school agreements and sparring over a Nahant tuition revolving fund. Select Board member Mary Ellen Fletcher said the fund held $574,000 even after the school committee said it needed an extra $400,000 to balance fiscal 2025, calling it a sign "taxpayers overpaid." Superintendent Jason Calichman said the district finished 1.3 percent under budget and the account now sits at $410,000. School Committee Vice Chair Glenn Paster said "we're trying to be as transparent as possible," while Select Board member Danielle Leonard urged colleagues to trust Finance Director Cheryl Stella's guidance rather than treat the dispute as "adversarial." No votes were taken on the budget disputes; the school committee budget and long-term budgeting discussions were tabled.

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• Swampscott's community access TV: Select Board meeting, January 21, 2026
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Source: the Select Board meeting of January 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.