From left to right: Superintendent Martin O’Shea, state Rep. Brian Ashe, state Sen. Jake Oliveira, Select Board Chair Dan Zwirko, Select Board member Vineeth Hemavathi and School Committee member Kate Bean posed with the $75,000 ceremonial check.
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
LONGMEADOW — State Sen. Jake Oliveira and state Rep. Brian Ashe appeared at the Longmeadow Public Schools district office on Oct. 23 to present a ceremonial check for $75,000 to strengthen security measures across the district.
Oliveira and Ashe secured the funds through the state’s Fair Share surtax revenue. It will go toward measures like visitor entry system upgrades, building access systems and security cameras.
Voters approved the Fair Share amendment in 2022, which levies an additional 4% income tax surtax on individuals with annual taxable incomes over $1 million. The Department of Revenue’s preliminary estimate in July placed the state’s fiscal year 2026 surtax revenue at $3.3 billion.
The surtax must be spent on public education, public colleges and universities or the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.
Oliveira said he would love to “add a few extra zeros” at the end of $75,000, but the funds go a long way to help out school districts and communities.
He said children’s safety and making sure the facilities are secure is “number one for all of us.”
“I think all of us have been front and center in our minds about security and safety, especially of our students, our families and, most recently, our security of our data and our information,” Oliveira said. “It’s important to recognize that school systems are an operation, and it’s a very large operation where you have a lot of information, personal data of students, their families that are collected here, but their physical safety is important as well.”
He said there are particular projects that need “a little icing on the cake,” and the funds help provide it.
Ashe spoke on his working relationship and friendship with Oliveira and how it makes work, like obtaining these funds, easy. He also complimented Superintendent Martin O’Shea, stating how much he looks out for the school district and the people within it.
“This isn’t one of the ones where you get to see and feel it, but it’s critically important to have this,” Ashe said. “It’s important to make sure the schools are secure, make sure that things don’t happen and we can try to prevent them. Thank you, [Oliveira], for what you’re doing. I’m glad to be a part of this.”
O’Shea thanked Oliveira and Ashe for assisting the district’s mission to keep schools safer. He said the funds were critical in helping the district invest in new equipment.
“School security has been at the forefront of focus for the School Committee, and obviously the Select Board and the whole town of Longmeadow,” O’Shea said. “Thank you for this partnership.”
Select Board Chair Dan Zwirko said he understands the importance of getting funds as a former Longmeadow High School student and someone who works in security.
“During our budget discussion, security is always top of mind,” Zwirko said. “When we’re dealing with tight budgets on a regular basis, these funds are critical to making a difference to the students and our community.”
Select Board member Vineeth Hemavathi said the board’s job is to make sure the community is safe.
“That is the number one thing that we’re concerned with, and this aids that effort so this is hugely important,” Hemavathi said. “Thank you Superintendent O’Shea for being a good advocate and having a good relationship and working partnership with our state legislators. It means so much to have a state delegation that understands how tight municipal budgets are.”
