and from todays TGN

Kerry O'Brien News Staff Writer TEMPLETON — With voters being asked to vote on the school district’s budget for a fourth time on Friday at 7 p.m. at Narragansett Regional Middle School, town officials said they fear a “yes” vote could result in drastic cuts to town services, and urged residents to vote “no,” so that work toward a compromise, whereby reducing the district’s override request, can continue. “I think the prudent thing to do is on Friday is to vote down the budget,” selectman Doug Morrison said. “It’s a pass-fail vote; there is no option to make changes. If we vote it down Friday, we have the joint town meeting to make adjustments.” Selectman Kenn Robinson stated that the school district and town officials have begun discussion on proposing a reduced override. “Both sides have admitted to each other that a compromise is needed,” said Robinson. “As a starting point we’ve said that negotiations, a compromise, is needed. Both sides have said we need an override of a lesser amount and to work to meet the gap.” The Narragansett Regional School District submitted a $5.2 million assessment to the town, however after voters rejected the $691,086 override needed to support that amount of funding at the polls 948-851, Templeton officials asked the Annual Town Meeting voters to provide a $ 4.6 million budget for the district. The town meeting voted to approve the $4.6 million budget, but also to send the override back to the polls. However, voters once again defeated the override request, 1,117-739. Since the Annual Town Meeting was never presented with the school district’s full requested budget, by state law Templeton’s vote was by default a rejection of the school budget. The school committee then voted to resubmit their original budget on June 12 — giving the town 45 days to hold the special town meeting or the school district would automatically be entitled to their full budget request. Although Monday was not a regularly scheduled meeting, upon his return from Afghanistan, Board of Selectmen chairman Jeffrey Bennett said he wanted to hold a discussion on Friday’s meeting, and said he wants the school district and the town to begin their budget discussion with the school district sooner next year. “I hope this is a learning point for the town and the schools to have the conversation in December next year and again in January and sooner rather than later to get the best estimates we can for (the munipical and school) budgets, so we have a better idea of where we are then and we don’t end up where we are now,” he said. Without their full requested budget, the school district stands to lose middle school sports, junior varsity sports, cheering invitational, music and theater transportation, late buses, an elementary school assistant principal, business teacher, a middle school assistant principal and band uniforms. However residents and officials continue to assert that the town simply cannot afford override request. “Last year, we had to decide (what town employees) would get the axe so the town could keep going,” said resident Bethany Bartolomeo. “Where are you going to cut from now? We have been crawling up this rock face with our fingernails, I’m sorry we can’t give (the school district) what you want.” With the purpose of Friday’s meeting being to present the Annual Town Meeting with the school district’s full requested budget, despite discussion with the town of lowering their assessment, the school committee decided last week not to make any cuts to their budget. “They wanted to wait and see the results of Friday before making any cuts,” school supporter Michael Gary said. If voters approve appropriating the $5.2 million for the school district, the town will have to cut it’s municipal budget to accommodate the additional requested funding. “Last year, some town employees took a 12.5 percent pay cut so the town didn’t have to touch the fire department, highway and police — the administrative office took this,” said Town Assessor Sue Byrne. “You’re talking big hits to the fire, police, and highway,” Mr. Bennett said. “There are only a few places to cut.” If voters reject the requested school district budget, it will trigger the next step in the state Department of Education’s process — a joint town meeting with Phillipston. Phillipston voters also rejected their portion of the school district’s override request — $152,111— at the polls, but that town’s residents voted at their annual town meeting to provide the sum out of their free cash. Members of the board of selectmen said the joint town meeting will be a good time for the town and school district to discuss their options with the school district budget. “In a way it will be good for the budget to fail this Friday so we can have that conversation,” Mr. Bennett said. “We could bring a lower override, we could have a plan for next year.” Advisory board member Wilfred Spring and other residents said they want to see cuts on the administrative level that won’t directly effect the students’ education. “(The advisory board) saw the greatest increase in the school budget as being the administrative fees,” Mr. Spring said. “Over a 10-year period, they averaged a six percent increase. That percentage is so high you can end up more than doubling the amount you pay on administrative fees. The overall budget didn’t go up that high.” “I want to see the cuts that won’t affect the kids,” Mr. Bennett said. “Rather than see those programs cut, I’d like to see administrative costs stay even rather than cut teachers.” As the school district did not reach an agreement with both communities on the budget by July 1, they became one of nine regional school districts in the state to be put on a “1/12” budget by the state Department of Education. If the town and school district cannot come to an agreement by Dec. 1, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will move to mandate what the towns will pay to the school district for the fiscal year.