The following letter to the editor was submitted by Andover residents Windy Catino, Claire Chiesa, Dave Crow, and Linda Cummings, who all served on the Andover Public Schools FY26 Budget Advisory Council. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Andover News. You can learn more about our policy on opinion and commentary on our Mission and Policies page.
We, the undersigned, have served on the APS FY26 Budget Advisory Council (BAC) with Jake Tamarkin and feel compelled to oppose his candidacy for the Andover School Committee due to his repeated misrepresentation of the APS budget. His public statements and campaign materials distort the realities of the budget process, despite his direct involvement in BAC discussions where these issues have been thoroughly addressed.
The BAC was formed after last year’s budget debate, where Jake and others advocated using the town’s emergency reserve fund to cover one year of school salary expenses — an irresponsible approach that was ultimately rejected. This demonstrated the need for greater community education on the budgeting process, which the BAC has since provided. The council consists of 20 members from diverse stakeholder groups, and the administration has been receptive to our feedback.
Despite attending the BAC meetings, however, Jake appears to continue to disregard facts. One example is his false claim on his campaign website that APS has been “stockpiling cash” in revolving funds. The BAC thoroughly reviewed these funds, the legal regulations regarding these funds as well as the strategic use of these funds in our February 10 meeting. All of this information is readily available on the APS website. Any informed participant would recognize that these funds are not stockpiled but carefully managed. When asked privately by BAC members to remove this misleading claim from his campaign materials, Jake refused, and it remains prominently featured.
Another example is his misleading portrayal in Facebook posts of a one-time $450K appropriation to cover an unprecedented increase in special education tuition costs. Information obtained during various BAC meetings made clear that the district’s circuit breaker fund typically absorbs unexpected expenses, and that this year’s 130% increase is due to a high level of new enrollments requiring expensive residential tuitions, that are legally required. The funding provides temporary assistance until state reimbursement arrives.
It is important for us to express our concerns about Jake’s approach to the APS budget. While he has presented himself as a “finance expert,” his portrayal of the budget and its complexities is inaccurate. Even after being challenged with the corrected information to which he has access, his campaign statements continue to misrepresent key aspects of the budget process. His understanding of the budget does not align with the careful, intelligent and informed decision-making necessary for a role on the School Committee. For these reasons, we do not believe that he is qualified to represent the best interests of Andover Public Schools moving forward.Respectfully,
Windy Catino
Claire Chiesa
Dave Crow
Linda Cummings
Members, APS FY26 Budget Advisory Council
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