Mike Landers, Danvers’ representative to the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School Committee, told the Town of Danvers warrant review that the district’s 2026 assessment for member towns is 4.488222 — about a 4% increase over the prior year.

Landers said the rise is driven primarily by a three‑year teacher contract the district approved last year and by capital projects at the school, including conversion of a large building on the east side of Route 62 to classroom space and investments in a veterinary center. He also noted a small assessment increase tied to the transfer of some Essex County Retirement System members into the district’s retirement grouping.

The assessment number was presented as Article 4 on the warrant. Landers said he had received a written opinion from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that, in DESE’s view, when a regional school committee votes to adopt a budget and assessment, that assessed number must be transmitted unchanged to the municipalities and the Select Board and Finance Committee do not have authority to alter it during their review; Town Meeting may still vote the amount up or down.

Committee members and attendees asked several clarification questions. Committee member Eric pressed on where advocacy or statutory changes would need to occur if towns seek a different allocation method; Landers said that would require action at the state legislative level. Committee member Wally and others noted that some sending towns are seeing substantially larger assessment increases (Landers cited Gloucester, Beverly and Marblehead as examples), and that Peabody saw an increase of roughly $1 million in its assessment year over year.

Landers also reviewed local enrollment and program details: the warrant materials showed roughly 836 students in the district; Landers said Danvers students have access to the whole curriculum while some communities send only agricultural program students. He estimated about 60% of the district’s students go on to two‑ and four‑year colleges. He said the district currently accepts about half of applicants and indicated administrators have discussed expansion but that he has concerns about very large enrollment at one Danvers campus.

During the warrant review a motion to “Move Article 4” was made and seconded; the committee voted in favor with one abstention and the article passed.

Why it matters: the regional assessment is a binding line item that affects Danvers’ town budget. The DESE opinion Landers cited frames who may and may not change the number during local review, an issue several committee members said might need to be addressed by state legislators.

Looking ahead: Landers and committee members said they would continue to monitor enrollment, the district’s capital plans and any legislative discussion over regional assessment authority.