Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, ApriL 10, 2026 ~ Letter to the Editor ~ Saugus Town Meeting Update: School Finance Subcommittee – A Step in the Right Direction! Dear Editor: On Thursday night, March 26, I had the pleasure of attending the School Department Finance Subcommittee meeting, and I left genuinely encouraged by what I saw. –A Fresh Approach. In the past, this subcommittee consisted of school committee members, the superintendent and the school finance director. While well-intentioned, that structure often led to reactive conversations driven by budget constraints rather than proactive, forward-thinking planning. That changes now. The subcommittee now includes parent representatives – and that matters. Getting that community perHEALTH BAN | FROM PAGE 1 Veteran Board of Health Member Joia Cicolini emphasized “what we’re banning is the sale – not the use.” “We just want it to be safe for spective woven into the planning process is exactly the kind of inclusion we need. What also stood out was Brian Doherty’s clear fit leading this effort. He brings a rare combination to the table: School Committee member, parent, finance professional, AND former Finance Committee member. That last piece is particularly important as the School Department prepares to present and defend their budget before FinComm in the coming weeks. He understands both sides of that table, and that will be invaluable. –The Roadmap – Why It Matters Beyond the immediate budget cycle, this subcomour community overall. There’s no age restriction,” she said. Chair Tamagna expressed the concern shared by most of the members – that children were at risk. The board members need to be concerned about any kind of substance mittee is committed to developing a 1, 3 and 5-year roadmap for the School Department. This is a game changer. For too long there has been a siloing effect between the School Department, the Town Manager, the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and Town Meeting. Without a clear, well-communicated plan, conversations get stuck on a single dollar figure rather than the full story behind it. That disconnect has real consequences. Right now there is a $1.5 million gap between what our schools need to simply maintain their current level of service and what the town is offering. Let that sink in – we’re not even talking about growth or imthat gets somebody high and can be addictive. “I’m very much in favor of banning the sale in our town,” Tamagna said. “I don’t want it available to the young people. I’d like to go ahead with the ban,” she provement yet. We’re talking about standing still. –My Ask When I spoke at the meeting, I made a simple but important request: acknowledge that our school leaders are masters of their craft – and then take it one step further. We need to establish a common language and shared context between the School Department, FinComm, the BOS, the Town Manager, and Town Meeting members. Not everyone involved fully understands the complexity of operating a school system, and that knowledge gap fuels the disconnect. –The Bottom Line Our schools should be the said. “I don’t want it available to a child. People who need it for pain management, they will be able to get it,” she said. Director of Public Health John R. Fralick III noted there have been instances of overpride of Saugus – not viewed as an underperforming cost center that isn’t getting the support it needs and deserves. This roadmap and the work being done by this subcommittee is how we begin to change that narrative: building alignment, trust, and a shared vision across town government so that year over year, we can make meaningful progress forward. I’m cautiously optimistic. The right people are in the room, the right conversations are starting, and the community deserves to know about it. Stay tuned. Joe DiFilippo Saugus Town Meeting Member, Precinct 4 dose and instances of death related to consumption of Kratom products. “We’re trying to do what’s in the best interests of the residents of Saugus,” Fralick said. Saugus resident Michael Fisher tried to make a case that the board should not be grouping natural Kratom products with synthetic products. “The big misconception is people grouping these together when they are not the same,” Fisher said. He said the 7-OH products “are definitely bad and should be banned.” He argued that natural Kratom presents a minimal threat and presented a one-page information sheet, which differentiated between natural Kratom and synthetic products containing Kratom. Joyce Redford, the director of the North Shore/Cape Ann Tobacco Alcohol Policy Program, called products containing Kratom “very dangerous.” “I support the board’s desire to restrict this completely,” she said. “They shouldn’t be in a convenience store.” Redford was glad to see the ban approved, noting, “My family lives here. I grew up here.”
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