Manchester Essex School Committee Tables Essex Elementary Building Vote, Extends Superintendent

ESSEX — November 18, 2025 — Manchester Essex Regional School Committee extends superintendent's contract and delays key building vote. The committee voted unanimously at its November 18 meeting to extend Superintendent Pam Bowden's contract through the 2026-2027 school year and approved a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment, bringing her estimated salary from approximately $225,000 to approximately $230,000. A planned vote on approving the district's Essex Elementary School educational program — a required document for the mid-January submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority — was tabled after member Jake raised concerns about square footage projections running roughly 29,000 square feet over MSBA guidelines, inconsistent STEM-space language, and insufficient description of community-use provisions; both the educational program and three accompanying space summaries are now set to return at the December 2 meeting. The committee also heard an early budget preview projecting a total spending increase of approximately $1.8 million for the coming year, driven by a projected 20 percent jump in health insurance, a 10 percent transportation increase tied to a new bid cycle, and a 3.4 percent out-of-district special education tuition rate — a combination the finance director said could produce an overall budget increase in the six to seven percent range, though she cautioned the figures are preliminary.