On Fri, 5/3/13, Brewer, Stephen (Senator)
From: Brewer, Stephen (Senator)
Subject: RE: simple override
To: "yeldarb le"
Date: Friday, May 3, 2013, 1:54 PM
Dear Brad,
At this point
in the budget process, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
would not intervene if a town votes against an override. If a regional school
and its member towns fail to agree on the school’s budget and corresponding
assessments for each town by December 1st, then DESE would set the
budget and corresponding town assessments.
I hope this
helps to answer your question.
Sincerely,
Steve Brewer
Worcester,
Hampden, Hampshire, & Middlesex
State House,
Room 212
Boston, MA 02133
T: 617-722-1540
F: 617-722-1078
e-mail:
Stephen.Brewer@MASenate.gov
From: yeldarb le [yeldarbl@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 9:54 AM
To: Brewer, Stephen (Senator)
Subject: simple override
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 9:54 AM
To: Brewer, Stephen (Senator)
Subject: simple override
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good morning. last
week I contacted this office by phone, and received a prompt reply from kate.
thank you kate. the answer was a lot more than what I needed. we have a
school budget override vote, not budget just override above and beyond the
budget. can the state mandate a city or town to provide the requested amount
if it is voted down ???? this is not a "quabbin" situation, which
was a budget problem, this is a simple override. thank you
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This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis information isn't exactly correct. The NRSD School Committee certified a budget number of (approx.) $5.2. They requested an override to cover $691,000 of that $5.2 because the town didn't have the money to cover the higher amount. Whether or not an override passed, the certified budget sent by the school committee is $5.2. Therefore, if a different amount passes on TM floor (such as $4,430,000 which is what will be read on the warrant article) NRSD will NOT have a budget to operate come July 1 because the certified number will not have been passed.
ReplyDeleteThe school cannot open it's doors until it has an operating budget. So what does this mean? It means that the budget will go back to the School Committee who can either try to make $690k worth of cuts or it can re-certify the $5.2 budget again. Then it will go back to the town to decide what they want to do with that. This process will go back and forth until July 1. If no agreement has been made by then DESE will come in and set a 1/12 budget so that the school can open it's doors in late August.
Then if no agreement between the town and the School Committee has been reached by December 1, DESE will set a budget and corresponding town assessments.
ps...I'm not saying whether or not this is good or bad, I'm simply trying to give correct information about the process.
Gina, you are 100% correct!!
ReplyDeleteActually Mr. Greene, Gina may not be 100% correct. According to article in Worcester Telegram, Wednesday, October 17, 2012, "this will be the 5th consecutive year Quabbin has begun the academic year without an approved budget" So it seems the district can open its doors without an approved budget, if the school committee so wishes. That way, if need be, there is time to work this out. But again, I welcome and would like very much for the state to come in and look over both the district and town budget.
DeleteAccording to the town coordinator, the certified letter sent to the Templeton town coordinator asked for the $4.4 million number. It identified the $691k as a ballot question.
ReplyDeleteThe budget certified by the School Committee Treasurer is the aggregate of the two figures. It doesn't matter how it was broken down. If the Town not does appropriate a figure for the school that is enough to fund the budget certified by the school committee, then there isn't a school budget and we go back to the drawing board. Which is fine. But let's give the people accurate information about the process.
ReplyDeleteSo Gina, did you ever go out with Tommy from the docks??
ReplyDeleteIt actually matters if they gave one figure then changed it to try and get around the override defeat. There is a time frame in there according to the law and this also goes back to what the agreement says, as in net school spending. Either way, I welcome, rather than fear, the state coming in and looking at both the town budget and the school budget. The state looked at Wachusett budget and saw mismanagement while Quabbinn had gone 5 years starting school without a budget prior to the state stepping in. This process will all begin with town meeting vote.
Yes I did. And then I married him ;)
DeleteNothing was changed. The certified budget was provided (and posted on this blog) prior to the override vote/election.
ReplyDeleteThe official notice to the town is the letter sent to the selectmen office. I don't think a town writes articles for town meeting based on the budget posted on this blog.
ReplyDeleteMr. Barrieau, I was referring to Mr. Bennett's statement that the School Committee may have changed their figure after the override failed. My point was that the budget was posted on this blog, so anyone concerned that Ms. Miller or the School Committee somehow changed the figure can reference the blog posting prior to the election which shows the $5+ million figure.
DeleteNo one (with the exception of Ms. Miller, perhaps) is arguing that the Town can fund the $691k without an override. If I am understanding correctly, all that is being requested is that the $5+ million figure be read first, then a substitute motion immediately follow it with the $4.5 million figure. That way there is full transparency and everyone is aware of what is being voted on. I can foresee a situation in which the $4.5 million gets a "yes" vote, the override gets a "no" vote, then when the Townspeople read in the GNews in a few months that the School Committee is requesting a 1/12th budget, everyone is confused because the Town gave the School Committee a budget (but not the budget requested, which the Town cannot afford).
Speaking only for myself, it seems to me that the insistence for reading the full budget as 1 motion only came up after the defeat of the override.
DeleteMaybe you should ask for a copy of the letter received at the selectmen office.
The same happened last year at town meeting. Three motions. I understand they did that in Phillipston as well. Sounds like standard practice.
Please look at the law and then at the regional agreement ...there is a clause in the MGL that refers you to the DISTRICT agreement.
ReplyDeleteGet an updated copy of it. Isn't it on the website?
Question: Is Ms Miller is so insistent that that the BUDGET # and the OVERIDE # are presented at town meeting as the sum of the two, one number. Because that way it is presented as BUDGET and if not voted the state can and will step in. if it is presented as it is in the warrant, the BUDGET is passed and the OVERIDE not voted, the state will not do anything, as the e-mail from Sen Brewer indicates. Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing that says the state WILL come in. If the $5 million budget is not passed, the School Committee has the option of requesting the state come in. And for anyone who thinks that this would amount to a loss of local autonomy, state law is already the final arbitor in everything the Town does (i.e. Mass Gen. Laws trump bylaws everytime). Bottom line is Templeton cannot fund the School Committee's budget as it is currently written.
ReplyDeletePlease call the DESE in and have the state look at school finances!! Let the state see the district refinancing debt where the borrowed money shows up as expenditure for FY 12. This will show the district spending way more on debt service than previous year (s). Let the state see a district stabilization account of $50,425.00,, a school choice account of $304,681.00 and the excess & Deficiency account holding $41,088.00 (FY12). Then the state can look at FY13 debt service as Principal: $289,628.00 + Interest at $370,715.00. Then the state can look at the town budget and then perhaps the state can convince the district the town simply cannot support the amount of money the district wants to spend.
ReplyDelete