Somerset-Berkeley School Committee Transfers $500,000 to Capital Fund, Reaffirms Survivor Health Law

SOMERSET -- June 30, 2026, Somerset-Berkeley Regional School Committee transfers $500,000 to its capital fund and reaffirms a state law placing full health insurance costs on surviving employee spouses. Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Schoonover presented an estimated year-end uncommitted balance of $1,066,701.64 for fiscal year 2026, the product of a February spending freeze, strategic federal grant use, and prior-year special education prepayments. The committee voted 6-0 to move $500,000 from the excess and deficiency fund into capital stabilization, leaving funds for a $271,000 summer track resurfacing and other emerging projects including a roughly $60,000 PAC entrance door replacement and an aging auditorium sound system. A second unanimous vote directed $268,790.24 toward special education tuition prepayments to build fiscal year 2027 budget flexibility. On a 5-1 vote, with member Michael Pasternak dissenting, the committee reaffirmed Massachusetts General Law Chapter 32B, Section 9B, requiring surviving spouses of active or retired district employees to pay 100 percent of health premiums with no district contribution, effective in 60 days; Pasternak called the measure "an undue burden," while member Kris Andrews argued that following state law and protecting the interests of both Somerset and Berkeley were paramount.