Selectmen will wait on Prop. 21/2 override request
Smaller figure likely
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Selectmen will wait until after the annual town meeting to ask residents to override Proposition 2 1/2 to help fund the school budget, in hopes a smaller increase is needed.

On March 17, the Board of Selectmen voted to put a $1.3 million override on the April 23 annual election ballot. But after a two hour meeting with school committee members and Superintendent of Schools Maureen Marshall on March 20, the board decided to wait until after the annual town meeting.

"I may or may not personally be in favor of an override but I think people should get to vote on a realistic number," Selectman David Chennelle said on Tuesday. "It is ultimately going to end up in an override."

The North Middlesex Regional School Committee unanimously certified a $41.5 million budget for FY08 at their March 11 meeting. The budget represents a 7.9 percent increase over FY07.

Selectmen were concerned the budget increase reflects a 21.8 percent assessment increase.

The proposed override amount is the d i f f e r e n c e between the state required minimum spending on the district and the assessment figure.

Marshall said that was an unfair number to put on the ballot because she said the number was going to go down.

"When we certified an assessment it was sky high because of the lack of state aid," Marshall said.

She said the selectmen's action represented thinking of "your assessment is crazy, so we are taking crazy action."

Marshall said now is the time to lobby the legislature for additional funds. She said the governor's proposed budget didn't fund the new school aid formula, but she expects the legislature to do a better job.

"This is preliminary. This is a number we don't expect the towns to shoulder," she said. "If you put a $1.3 million override on (the ballot) we look like fools. … It's an override that you won't support and I can't support."

Marshall outlined to selectmen the district's concerns about declining MCAS scores, increasing numbers of students choosing to use school choice, and decreasing number of students going on to four-year colleges or technical schools.

Selectman Maureen Denig said she understood the need for the money and thought the proposed override would show residents the dire situation in both the town and school budgets.

"You know we aren't going to get it. We know we aren't going to get it," Denig said. "But people have to know how badly off everything is."

Selectman Robert Plamondian said he doesn't believe the concerns of the town officials had been heeded after a joint meeting with the school committee in February.

"I heard you," Marshall said. "I have an obligation to say let's at least keep doing what we were doing."

Selectmen voted to put the override on the ballot on Saturday because a ballot must be set 35 days before the election - by Monday, March 19. They could not change the number or the wording on the question by the time of their Tuesday meeting but they were allowed to withdraw it.

The board withdrew it after the conversation with school officials so that a more realistic number could be used.

"We can certify a budget lower but we can't certify a budget higher," said Joe Sciacca, a member of the school committee representing Townsend.

The committee members said they expect to cut programs but they are hoping a higher state aid number will come in before town meeting.

If Ashy and Pepperell pass the budget, then Townsend would have no choice but to fund their share as part of the regional agreement.