Manchester Finance Committee Unanimously Approves $20.8 Million in Regional School Assessments

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — March 12, 2026 — Manchester Finance Committee approves more than $20.8 million in regional school assessments for fiscal year 2027. The five-member panel voted unanimously Thursday to approve a Manchester Essex Regional School District operating assessment of $18,058,187.50 — a roughly 3 percent increase over the prior year — along with a capital assessment of $2,573,924.16 and a North Shore Agricultural and Technical School assessment of $171,435 covering eight Manchester students. Finance Director Andrea Mainville flagged a projected $200,000 snow-and-ice budget deficit and a roughly $100,000 legal-line shortfall, saying she intends to bring a warrant article to April town meeting rather than carry the gap into the fall tax recapitulation. The committee also learned that the purchase-and-sale agreement for a proposed community center at the local Masonic lodge remains unsigned, with project cost estimates now potentially exceeding $6 million, and that a November 2026 Special Town Meeting is being targeted to authorize the full cost of the Essex Elementary School replacement project, which early estimates place at roughly $54 million for both towns combined.