Marblehead school board reduces savings request

MARBLEHEAD – Spurred by concern over ever-spiraling money requests this spring, School Committee members have reduced the amount of Marblehead Village School renovation savings that they want to spend at that school this year.The committee originally discussed seeking $1.27 million on classroom furniture, school technology and improvements to neighborhood traffic and the school track, money already saved in the project.Thursday night the committee voted to scale that request down to $450,000 – $388,000 for school technology and $62,000 for furniture.The $200,000 traffic improvements, five electric signs for Village and Jersey streets and West Shore Drive, which show the speed limit and the speed of approaching cars, and the $500,000 to rehab the school track have been set aside to next year.The vote was 4-1, with Amy Drinker opposed. Drinker was in favor of the $62,000 for furniture but wanted to set aside any other item that could be viewed as big ticket. “Our main concern should be to focus on the Glover School project,” she said.