Despite a Low Budget, NMRHS Appears to Have Purchased Brand New Seating in the Commons. But... How?

By The ClearScope Network | @ClearScopeNet

August 26, 2025

TOWNSEND, MA — Students walking into the North Middlesex Regional High School Commons this week were met with an unexpected change: brand-new, high-quality seating and tables. The original round tables with built-in stools — those familiar, slightly wobbly circles attached to metal posts — are gone. In their place? Sleek wooden chairs with supportive backs, free-standing around updated tables that look straight out of a college campus.

The upgrade is clear. The chairs are more comfortable, movable, and modern — a noticeable improvement from the fixed stools students have used for years. But amid the applause for better seating, a bigger question lingers:

How did the school afford this during a budget crisis?

Budget Battles Across the Tri-Town District

North Middlesex Regional School District, which serves Pepperell, Townsend, and Ashby, has faced significant budget challenges in recent years. Multiple proposed budget bills have gone to the voters — and not unfortunately not passed.

In fact, the financial strain has grown so severe that Ashby Elementary School was closed as part of cost-cutting measures. Across the district, staff positions have been reduced, teachers have been let go, and programs have faced cuts in the name of “fiscal responsibility.”

Parents, students, and staff have repeatedly been told that funding is tight and that sacrifices are necessary to keep the district afloat.

But Then… Brand-New Furniture?

That’s what has many scratching their heads. If the district has been warning about severe financial strain — even shuttering schools and cutting staff and programs — how did funding suddenly become available for brand-new Commons furniture?

Was this a planned capital expense from a previous budget cycle?
Was it covered by a grant or donation?
Or is the district spending precious funds on upgrades at a time when many feel the priority should be classrooms and staffing?

Right now, those answers aren’t clear — and students, families, and taxpayers deserve transparency.

The Bigger Question: Priorities

Nobody’s denying the new tables and chairs look great and make the Commons more comfortable. But when schools are cutting teachers, consolidating classrooms, and even closing entire buildings, upgrades like this raise eyebrows.

Why spend on something so optional and aesthetic when so many essential resources are being scaled back?

If there’s extra money available for furniture, shouldn’t students, staff, and families know where it came from — and why it wasn’t used to prevent cuts elsewhere or used for things crucial to the education of the students such are art supplies for the Art department, books for the English department, or other materials and resources that seem more necessary than some new seating.

What Comes Next

As communities in Pepperell, Townsend, and Ashby continue to grapple with budget shortfalls, Ashby Elementary’s closure, and teacher reductions, the district owes its residents clear answers about how these spending decisions are made.

The new Commons setup might look great — but until there’s more transparency, many are left wondering:
Is this really where our priorities should be right now?

The ClearScope Network will continue monitoring this story as more information comes out about how these upgrades were funded. Please note that some potential answers regarding the content of this article may have been released and gone under our radar.