NRSD budget deliberation drags on
For the Athol Daily News
Published: 9/8/2019 1:00:06 PM
TEMPLETON – Voters from Templeton and Phillipston will gather again
in a joint town meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25 in hopes of finally
enacting a Narragansett Regional School District budget for fiscal year
2020, which officially began July 1. Voters in Phillipston have
repeatedly approved a higher budget than that supported by voters from
Templeton.
At Phillipston’s annual town meeting in May, voters approved a proposed district budget of $20.3 million. To reach the recommended total, however, voters in both towns needed to endorse a Proposition 2 ½ override of nearly $1.1 million. Again, Phillipston voters gave thumbs up to their $93,000 share of the override – at both the annual town meeting and subsequent town election – while their counterparts in Templeton rejected the override, which would have cost the town $988,000.
Templeton voters then met in special town meeting and rejected a reduced NRSD budget proposal.
As a result, voters from both towns gathered Aug. 21 at a joint town meeting held at Narragansett Regional High School to see if a FY20 budget could finally be hammered out. Alas, it could not.
The NRSD School Committee recommended a budget of $19.7 million. That amount likely would have provided the district with enough cash to keep Phillipston Memorial Elementary School serving students in grades Kindergarten through 5. Phillipston parents have been fighting most of the year to keep the school open, thus avoiding the necessity of putting their children on buses for a lengthy trip to and from the new Templeton Center Elementary School.
Templeton town officials, however, have argued the budget proposed by the school committee would require a reduction in the budgets of the police, fire, and public works departments, resulting in cuts in both personnel and services. To avoid those cuts, they offered an amendment to reduce the district budget by $200,000, to $19.5 million. The proposal passed by a vote of 203-107.
Nonetheless, at a subsequent meeting on Aug. 28, the School Committee voted to stick with its original proposal, and rejecting the $19.5 million package. As a result, a second joint town meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 25, where voters will again be asked to approve the committee’s $19.7 million offer.
If voters again reject the committee’s proposal, and the
committee then refuses to accept a reduced budget, the pattern will be
repeated yet again. The potential exists that several joint town
meetings could be held between now and Dec. 1, the state-imposed
deadline for nailing down a final budget.
Since the beginning of FY20, the district has been operating under what is known as a one-twelfth budget. The state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education has told school officials the district will be allowed to spend just under $1.7 million per month. If voters in the two member communities fail to reach agreement by Dec. 1, the state will impose a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year based on the current monthly allotment.
For now, Phillipston Memorial Elementary School continues to operate as a K-5 facility. Classes started on Tuesday, Sept. 3. A spokesperson in Superintendent Chris Casavant’s office said it remains to be seen if the current status of the school will be maintained if the School Committee relents and votes to accept a lower budget than the one it is currently recommending. It should be noted the committee’s vote on Aug. 28 to push ahead with its $19.7 million proposal was unanimous.
At Phillipston’s annual town meeting in May, voters approved a proposed district budget of $20.3 million. To reach the recommended total, however, voters in both towns needed to endorse a Proposition 2 ½ override of nearly $1.1 million. Again, Phillipston voters gave thumbs up to their $93,000 share of the override – at both the annual town meeting and subsequent town election – while their counterparts in Templeton rejected the override, which would have cost the town $988,000.
Templeton voters then met in special town meeting and rejected a reduced NRSD budget proposal.
As a result, voters from both towns gathered Aug. 21 at a joint town meeting held at Narragansett Regional High School to see if a FY20 budget could finally be hammered out. Alas, it could not.
The NRSD School Committee recommended a budget of $19.7 million. That amount likely would have provided the district with enough cash to keep Phillipston Memorial Elementary School serving students in grades Kindergarten through 5. Phillipston parents have been fighting most of the year to keep the school open, thus avoiding the necessity of putting their children on buses for a lengthy trip to and from the new Templeton Center Elementary School.
Templeton town officials, however, have argued the budget proposed by the school committee would require a reduction in the budgets of the police, fire, and public works departments, resulting in cuts in both personnel and services. To avoid those cuts, they offered an amendment to reduce the district budget by $200,000, to $19.5 million. The proposal passed by a vote of 203-107.
Nonetheless, at a subsequent meeting on Aug. 28, the School Committee voted to stick with its original proposal, and rejecting the $19.5 million package. As a result, a second joint town meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 25, where voters will again be asked to approve the committee’s $19.7 million offer.
Since the beginning of FY20, the district has been operating under what is known as a one-twelfth budget. The state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education has told school officials the district will be allowed to spend just under $1.7 million per month. If voters in the two member communities fail to reach agreement by Dec. 1, the state will impose a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year based on the current monthly allotment.
For now, Phillipston Memorial Elementary School continues to operate as a K-5 facility. Classes started on Tuesday, Sept. 3. A spokesperson in Superintendent Chris Casavant’s office said it remains to be seen if the current status of the school will be maintained if the School Committee relents and votes to accept a lower budget than the one it is currently recommending. It should be noted the committee’s vote on Aug. 28 to push ahead with its $19.7 million proposal was unanimous.
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