Templeton sets special Town Meeting for July 18 to vote new school budget
TEMPLETON — Templeton is working on a special Town Meeting on
July 18 to tackle the fiscal 2020 Narragansett Regional School District
budget and prepare for the impact on the town’s operating budget.
Meanwhile, the district is working on the reconfiguration of the Phillipston and Templeton elementary school classrooms, undoing a plan to make the new Templeton school the primary elementary school for both towns.
A possible impact of the reconfiguration that was previously approved by the School Committee is that Templeton could lose some of the state reimbursement portion that was going toward the cost of the new Templeton Center Elementary School building.
That has selectmen concerned, prompting a board vote to request Town Administrator Carter Terenzini to request past communications between the Narragansett district and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and future communications about the potential reduced reimbursement.
The MSBA awards reimbursement based on its approval of the school plan, and changing that, especially if it results in different uses or unused classrooms, could trigger a change in reimbursement.
That concerns Templeton selectmen, who see a potential impact for taxpayers who recently turned down an override to fund the school operating budget.
Selectmen also approved two articles for the planned July 18 special Town Meeting warrant with two articles.
The first would be to ask voters to pass the School Committee-approved budget, which sets the figure at $6.9 million, down about a half-million dollars from the amount that was needed from the failed override.
A second article would give selectmen authority to cut the town budget to bring the total down to compensate for the town’s target of $6.5 million for the schools.
Meanwhile, the district is working on the reconfiguration of the Phillipston and Templeton elementary school classrooms, undoing a plan to make the new Templeton school the primary elementary school for both towns.
A possible impact of the reconfiguration that was previously approved by the School Committee is that Templeton could lose some of the state reimbursement portion that was going toward the cost of the new Templeton Center Elementary School building.
That has selectmen concerned, prompting a board vote to request Town Administrator Carter Terenzini to request past communications between the Narragansett district and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and future communications about the potential reduced reimbursement.
The MSBA awards reimbursement based on its approval of the school plan, and changing that, especially if it results in different uses or unused classrooms, could trigger a change in reimbursement.
That concerns Templeton selectmen, who see a potential impact for taxpayers who recently turned down an override to fund the school operating budget.
Selectmen also approved two articles for the planned July 18 special Town Meeting warrant with two articles.
The first would be to ask voters to pass the School Committee-approved budget, which sets the figure at $6.9 million, down about a half-million dollars from the amount that was needed from the failed override.
A second article would give selectmen authority to cut the town budget to bring the total down to compensate for the town’s target of $6.5 million for the schools.
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Hmmm. Hasn't the reimbursement from MSBA for the elementary school already been made? Most of it? How will that effect the amount of $$$ Templeton taxpayers are on the hook for the new elementary school?
If the Phillipston elementary students use the space at the high school, where some of the Templeton elementary school students have been located, that should have no impact on the MSBA reimbursement rate because the NRSD owns and operates the high school/middle school complex.
The second article to give authority to the selectmen to cut the budget is really gonna need a lot more explanation and detail.
Vote NO! On Everything!
The new 92,735 square-foot school will be built based on a design enrollment of 580 students in Kindergarten through grade 5. The MSBA will contribute 63.11% of eligible costs toward the project, for a total grant of up to $22,928,897. The current school was built in 1942 and suffers from deficiencies in major building systems including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and windows
ReplyDeletehttp://www.massschoolbuildings.org/news_events/Board_11.18.15/Narragansett_Templeton_ES