Acton Candidates Forum Puts School Restructuring, Budget Override on Table

ACTON — April 9, 2026 — Acton Democratic Town Committee hosts candidate forum for April 28 town election, with school restructuring and budgets dominating. Six school committee candidates appeared Thursday before a live audience at Acton Community Access TV, addressing the aftermath of the AB Forward elementary reorganization and whether the district can avoid a near-term Proposition 2 1/2 override. Incumbent school committee chair Tori Campbell, appearing via Zoom, disclosed that the district has approximately $1.2 million remaining in untaxed levy capacity and warned of another double-digit health insurance cost increase: "I can't think of anything else we could possibly do internally to find something else to cut." Candidate Natasha Skirowski-Onken, dean of student financial services at Harvard Law School, said the last override passed by only 45 votes and argued that community trust must be rebuilt before a new ask can succeed. Candidate Jacob Faye, whose doctoral dissertation covered school reorganizations, recommended the school committee and town jointly plan for the Conant property, warning that carrying costs on a closed school are not free. For Acton Water District Commissioner, challenger John Peterson said the district's uncertified free cash stands between $1.8 million and $2.4 million and criticized the warrant's budget language as unchanged since 1986, calling for a formal rate-setting process; incumbent Stephen Stuntz appeared via video from Maine and said commissioners will present a revised budget at an April 13 meeting ahead of the April 22 special district meeting.