Plympton Select Board Approves Hearing, Hears Warning on School Budget Increases

PLYMPTON — January 27, 2025 — Plympton Select Board flags unsustainable school budget requests and hears Habitat for Humanity pitch. Chair Liz Dennehy told the board January 27 that Silver Lake Regional School District is projecting a 13.37 percent level-service budget increase for fiscal year 2026, while Dennett Elementary is requesting a 19.7 percent jump — figures she called "staggering" and unlike anything she had seen in 35 years of Plympton government involvement. Kingston and Halifax face comparable or higher proposed increases from the regional district. The board will meet jointly with the Finance Committee in approximately two weeks and is weighing whether to pursue a Proposition 2½ override or debt exclusion for a planned new fire station. Earlier in the meeting, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth Executive Director Amy Belmore made an informational presentation on the organization's affordable homeownership and critical home repair programs, urging the town to continue searching for a buildable parcel; the organization has been stymied in past efforts by wetlands and Natural Heritage issues on available Plympton land.