Swampscott School Committee Approves 3.25 Percent Budget, Creates Naming Rights Committee

SWAMPSCOTT — April 30, 2026 — Swampscott School Committee seats two new members and confirms 3.25 percent budget increase for fiscal year 2026. The board welcomed Katie Arrington and Martha Caesar at its April 30 meeting at Swampscott High School, with Chair Glenn Pastor noting that 40 percent of the committee is now new and announcing a June 11 workshop to cover operating procedures. The Select Board approved the school budget the previous evening by a vote of 3 to 1 to 1, locking in a figure the district called its bottom line — down from an initial request of 3.96 percent — a reduction that freed roughly $200,000 for the town's overall budget. Superintendent Jason Angelakis reported that the solar installation at Swampscott Elementary School is fully complete and awaiting National Grid activation, with a projected 25 percent energy savings and a $200,000 reimbursement to the town. The committee voted unanimously to create a Naming Rights Committee, prompted by a substantial donation from the Ivy Lane Estate of Winchester intended for a reading area at the elementary school library, and separately accepted a $2,685 gift from Big Blue Bargains for the Integrated Preschool music program. Angelakis also announced the return of high school hockey, with a JV team planned for next year using Salem State as a home rink, framing the move as an enrollment retention strategy.