Voters to return to ballot box for funding question
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Voters in Ashburnham and Westminster will face a ballot question at the polls on Tuesday to determine if they want to support a Proposition 2 ½ override to fund the remaining school budget.

A similar ballot question was rejected by voters in both towns this June, so members of the Ashburnham Westminster Regional School Committee prepared to cut $1.2 million from their budget but also try for a second and lower override. If the second override fails then the school district will have to implement the reductions proposed by Superintendent of Schools Michael Zapantis.

"It would allow us to keep in place 100 percent activities and the 32 positions that we have already laid off," said School Committee Chairman David Christianson.

Voters in Ashburnham will face a ballot question of whether voters will approve an additional $313,687 in real estate and personal property taxes above that permitted by Proposition 2 ½ to fund the school district budget.

Voters in Westminster will be asked to approve override to Proposition 2 ½ of $492,459.00.

Student population determines the towns' contribution to the school budget.

The School Committee did receive some good news in terms of a possibly increase to the district's excess and deficiency account in the last week, which they discussed during a special meeting of the School Committee on Wednesday, after press time.

"The jump in E&D the bulk of excess that we are expecting is due to additional Medicare reimbursement," said Christianson.

The town applies for reimbursement through the state and federal government for services provided to certain Special Education students and then a review process determines what will be reimbursed.

"I think even with the discussion we have on Wednesday night we might not have an exact to the dollar amount," Christianson said.

He said that the number could change between 25 to 30 percent depending on the state reworking the number.

"The other major component of that is some additional reimbursement we got on the transportation," Christianson said.

The other money the district's excess account from the fiscal year 2007 is expected "is primarily due to the budget freeze we put in back in November."

Christianson said there would be a discussion Wednesday on how the committee wanted to treat the money. He said he would advocate returning any additional funds to the town if the override passes and the extra money comes in from the state.

"We aren't looking to build up a war chest," he said, adding that the committee returned funds to the town in 2004 after higher than anticipated state funding.

In the first override request the School Committee was also requesting money to keep the funding for the curriculum renewal cycle, which updated supplies and reviewed lesson plans by subject matter over the course of a six year plan and it would have also included money for professional development programs.

"For people to suggest that we would play a game with a $26 million budget or to play a game with the kids is doing a disservice," Christianson said.

The polls will be at John R. Briggs on Williams Road in Ashburnham for Ashburnham registered voters from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The polls will be open at Westminster Elementary School for Westminster's registered voters from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.