Peabody’s Children Pay the High Cost of Low Taxes: A $50 Problem
- Committee to Elect T.R. Brown
- May 22
- 2 min read
Today, May 22, 2025, Tristan R. Brown, candidate for Peabody City Councillor, at-Large, has released a public letter decrying recent proposed staff eliminations at the Peabody Public Schools.
Our campaign is dedicated to increasing school funding and ensuring our teachers are well paid, our facilities are world-class, and the education our students receive is equal to none. Please, take a moment to read our letter and feel free to share with Peabody residents.
And be sure to vote for Tristan on November 4th!
"On May 19, 2025, the Peabody School Committee met. The problem they needed to
solve: a $2.2 million budget deficit in the school. In order to solve this issue, the Peabody
School Committee decided to cut more positions at our schools. The laundry list of
eliminations is as disheartening as it is short-sighted. Inevitably, this will have a negative
impact on our students, it will demoralize our employees, and our facilities will continue to
degrade.
But, this is the pattern we find ourselves in—when confronted with a financial problem,
elected leaders respond by axing services that benefit social mobility and are used by
working people. What’s worse is that they keep doing this while cutting taxes for the very
richest amongst us in order to find favor with the elite. Well, I don’t give a DAMN about winning friends born with silver spoons in their mouths. I care about keeping a society where merit matters more than wealth, where the government is the champion of the common man, and an economy where working people can genuinely get ahead. Ain’t none of that happing without a strong education system.
There is a much better solution staring our city right in the face. If you do the math, a $2.2
million deficit spread across some 45,000 Peabody adults (give or take) is only about $50 per
person. Is that really such an astronomical sum? Heck, if you focus on only taxing the richest
half of Peabody residents—about 22,500 people—we could cover this deficit for $100 per
person. And, look at all that we get for a petty $100! Our middle schoolers get more guidance
councilors, our elementary students get more teachers, and our high schoolers get a fighting
chance.
If elected city councillor for the great city of Peabody, I will call for public hearings to find new
revenue sources for public education, push for increased pay for public school employees,
and increased funding to maintain and improve our facilities. The idea that you save money
by cutting education funding is a bold-faced lie. It’s time we start acting like fiscally
responsible adults and pay for the services we need. It's time to fully fund Peabody Public
Schools.
In solidarity,
Tristan R. Brown, esq.
Candidate, Peabody City Councillor, at-Large
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