School Committee Shifts $100,000 to Arts Director

School Committee · Meeting of May 21, 2026

Peabody's School Committee voted to shift $100,000 from health insurance to fund a districtwide performing arts director after a nearly four-hour outcry from students and alumni. Mayor Ted Betancourt proposed the transfer following testimony from more than 30 speakers worried that choral director and department head John Simmons' retirement would gut the award-winning program. The committee then approved the $101,967,320 fiscal 2027 budget in two 4-2 roll call votes, with members Millman and Cox dissenting.

Public commenter Sean Fitzgerald said performing arts funding fell nearly 11 percent, from $1,076,000 to $946,356, while athletics funding grew. Millman said the process did not "allow the committee to effectively fulfill its responsibility." Member Dunn said, "I don't like this budget," but voted yes anyway, calling it something the committee "owns."

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Peabody's community access TV: School Committee meeting, May 21, 2026
• The complete report: 892 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of May 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.