FAQ

An override is a vote by the community to increase property taxes above the 2.5% cap set by state law. Unlike temporary funding, an override becomes part of the town's base budget every year going forward. This allows MURSD not only to balance the budget this year, but also to keep pace with rising costs. 

Overrides are not unusual. Many surrounding communities have already passed them to protect schools, public safety, and town services. In fact, nearly 300 towns across MA have passed a total of about 1,900 overrides, and 50% of those towns have passed 5 or more overrides. This includes our neighbors in Hopedale, Hopkinton, Bellingham & Millville. 

Source: Prop 2 1/2 historical data

Proposition 2½ is a Massachusetts law passed in 1980 that limits how much a city or town can increase property taxes each year. Under this law, communities can only raise the total amount of property tax revenue by 2.5% annually, plus a small amount from new construction. The problem is that the cost of providing services like schools, fire, police, and public works has been growing much faster than 2.5%. Over time, this creates a widening gap between what the town can legally collect and what it actually costs to run essential services.

Source

Most of the district's budget (over 80%) is driven by costs that the schools cannot easily control. In the current budget cycle, three specific areas have seen unprecedented increases:

• Health Insurance: Projected to jump by roughly 32% ($1.73M).

• Special Education: Costs are up by over 25% ($980k) due to a rise in complex student needs and tuition for out-of-district placements.

• Salaries: A 6.33% increase ($1.54M) is required to cover contractual obligations (COLAs and "steps/lanes") to retain teachers in a competitive labor market. 

• While costs are rising by 5% to 30% in some categories, the state’s primary funding mechanism—Chapter 70 aid—is essentially flat.

• Because of the state's "Hold Harmless" formula, MURSD only receives a 1.08% increase in state aid.

• Over the last decade, the average growth in state aid has been less than 1%, while inflation and mandates have grown much faster.

• Federal grants (like Title I) are also being reduced or eliminated, leaving the local towns to pick up the slack.

Without additional funding from our towns, we face a "Reduced Service Budget" that would require approximately $4.1 million in staffing and program reductions. This could lead to:

• Significant staff reductions across all departments (70+ positions)

• Resulting in increased class sizes above the recommended averages

• Reductions in electives: technology, art, music, PE, health, world language

• Program cuts in AP courses, Spanish Immersion offerings, Career Pathways, and student clubs

• Increased fees to families

Yes, but these funds were for Capital Expenses (CAPEX) vs. Operating Expenses (OPEX) and those funds can only be used for the capital projects. The towns voted debt exclusions, which is different. By law, money from a Debt Exclusion is restricted. It can only be used to pay back the loan for those specific projects. Even if the district has a surplus in the "roof fund," they are legally forbidden from using a single cent of it to pay a teacher's salary or buy a textbook.

We have been transparent about a growing structural gap in our budget for several years. Our goal was to manage this gap through internal efficiencies and reserve funds to avoid an override for as long as possible; however, the acceleration of external costs forced this timeline forward sooner than we had hoped.

While our multi-year bridge plan of reductions and use of reserves was designed to delay this request as long as possible, two primary "fixed-cost" drivers exceeded even the most conservative projections for this year.

• Market-Driven Health Insurance: Much like the private sector, our premiums saw a double-digit spike this year. As a fixed employment cost, this significantly reduced the funds available for classroom operations.

• Mandated Student Support Services: We have seen a rise in out-of-district support service needs. These are not optional programs; they are federally and state-mandated supports that ensure every student receives the education they are legally entitled to.

The choice was between proposing an override or implementing significant reductions to core student programs and staffing.

"Our priority was to protect the classroom experience for as long as we could without asking for more. We hoped to hold the line longer, but we have reached the point where further internal cuts would fundamentally change the quality of education in our district."

Yes, and we did save money. Even with the current '25 -'26 costs, we're stll on-par with fully-insured plan rates.

The school district assesses each town an amount of money every year. This amount generally increases for both towns every year because it costs more to run a school district each year. There are some exceptions, particularly because we are a regional school district, how much each town is assessed may changed based on Municipal Lien Certificates (MLC). The towns then choose how to fund the towns' operations. Towns are allowed to increase taxes within the levy limit (2.5%) without an override.

Mendon and Upton typically fall in the middle of the pack for the Blackstone Valley. While we value our "small town" feel, we lack the large commercial/industrial tax bases (like big shopping malls or warehouses) that some neighbors use to keep residential taxes lower.

Please view the following link to go to the MURSD override impact tax calculator. 

The towns are in the same situation as the schools, cutting town services is not the answer to funding education, it should be a collaborative process.  

The last override was in 2015. At that time the district superintendent indicated that the next override would likely need to be five years later. We have gone 11 years.

This is one of the most common misconceptions about property taxes in Massachusetts. The short answer is no. Under Proposition 2½, the amount of tax revenue a town can collect is not tied to the "value" of the homes in town; it is tied to a legal limit on the total dollar amount (the "levy").

1. The "Fixed Pie" Rule - Think of the town’s budget like a pie. Proposition 2½ says the size of that pie can only grow by 2.5% each year. If your home value doubles, the "pie" doesn't get any bigger. Instead, the tax rate (the amount you pay per $1,000 of value) simply drops to ensure the town doesn't collect more than the law allows.

2. Value vs. Revenue - If the real estate market is "hot" in Mendon and Upton and everyone’s house becomes worth more, the town does not see a windfall of cash. Rising values mean you have more equity in your home, which is great for you as a homeowner. Rising values do not give the school district more money to pay for teachers or books.

1. Please reach out to the Select Board for this inquiry.

2. Please review the Audit or request to speak to the Director of Finance and Operations for the MURSD. 

Both Mendon and Upton offer tax relief programs for eligible seniors, including "Senior Work-Off" programs where residents can volunteer their time in exchange for a reduction in their tax bill. Please contact your local Assessor’s Office for details.

Our goal is to continue the strong work our school district has done for our children. We are proud of our schools and the dedicated teachers who make them successful. If the override does not pass, the district risks losing more than 70 staff members and several programs that make our schools attractive and competitive. Class sizes could increase to nearly 30 students per classroom. A “no” vote also puts school choice revenue at risk (and costs money if students are school choiced to other towns) and, more importantly, could make our towns less appealing to new homebuyers if we are unable to sustain the momentum and quality of our school system.

Upton: Town Meeting is May 7, General Election May 12. 

Mendon: Town Meeting is May 12th, General Election is May 19th. 

Please note, the override must pass at BOTH town meetings and BOTH General elections. 

Because we are a Regional School District, both towns must approve the override for the full budget to be funded. If one town says "Yes" and the other says "No," the district must default to the lower budget, leading to the "Reduced Service" cuts.

The district aggressively pursues grants (Federal Title I, state grants, competitive grants), charges fees for athletics and facility use, and participates in "School Choice" to bring in revenue from outside students. However, these sources are small compared to the overall budget gap.

The towns cannot raise revenue unless voters approve doing so.  

The district has spent years "cutting to the bone"—reducing positions, delaying textbook and technology refresh cycles, and finding efficiencies. However, when the "means" (the 2.5% cap) do not match the "costs" (inflation and state mandates), the only way to "spend within means" is to significantly reduce the quality of education by cutting staff and programs.

No, the towns do not get a windfall from rising property values.  By law, and setting aside new growth, each year the town’s total property tax levy can only increase by 2.5%. The “total property tax levy” is the total amount each town can collect. Even if property values go up by an average of 5% in a year, the “total property tax levy” can still only go up by 2.5%. 

In fact, if the total value of all property in a town increases, the tax rate has to decrease so that the total amount of property tax collected increases by only 2.5%. You can see an explainer video on this here: What is Proposition 2 1/2? 

The Debt Exclusion: 

A Debt Exclusion is a temporary tax increase for a specific project, like a new school roof or a fire truck. You pay extra taxes only until the loan is paid off (usually 10 to 30 years). Once the debt is clear, that tax disappears from your bill. By law, the town cannot spend this money on anything else—you can't use "roof money" to pay a teacher's salary.

The Operational Override: 

An Operational Override is a permanent change to your tax bill. It covers the day-to-day costs of running the town and schools—things like salaries, electricity, and books. Because these costs go up every year due to inflation, the 2.5% state limit eventually isn't enough to cover the bills. This vote "resets" the budget to a higher level so the district can keep its current staff and programs. Unlike the debt exclusion, this increase stays in the budget forever.

No. This is a frequent question. By law, money raised through a Debt Exclusion is "earmarked." If voters approved money for a roof, the town is legally forbidden from using that money to pay a teacher's salary or buy textbooks.

Class sizes will go up significantly across the district from 19-20 to 25-32 in a class. Additional support staff will also be impacted with the reductions, so there would be higher class sizes and less support.

The capital projects ( MSBA-supported roof and HVAC projects approved in 2025) are funded through Debt Exclusions.

The Funds are "Locked": Legally, the money we voted to borrow for these repairs must be spent on those repairs.

The Tax is Already Set: The temporary tax increase to pay back those loans is already in motion. Even if the operational override fails, the construction on the roofs and boilers will continue as planned.

The State's funding formula (Chapter 70) has a built-in 4.5% cap on inflation. Even when the actual cost of our electricy, fuel, and suppllies rises by 7%-8%, the State only adjusts our funding by a maximum of 4.5%. Over the last few years, this inflation "glitch" has created a massive gap between what things actually cost and what the State provides. We are essentially forced to pay 2026 prices with "capped" funding formulas. 

Compliance failure causes additional bureaucratic work and legal fees; cutting core services starts spiral of people leaving the district, losing school choice in students, causes less state funding, etc. 

School enrollment has declined very slightly over the last few years, but it is spreaad out over all grades which has helped controll class sizes which were higher.  

The calculation is driven by student enrollment headcounts and state‑mandated funding formulas that reflect each town’s income.