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| School officials warn of 'devastating' cuts | Wednesday, March 22, 2006 |
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| Tyler B. Reed 508-626-4423 | Metrowest Daily News |
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FRAMINGHAM -- Severe budget cuts will devastate the school system unless
the state sends an infusion of new money to the town, the chairwoman of
the School Committee told selectmen and state legislators last night.
Framingham's Beacon Hill lawmakers are predicting an increase in state aid, which could reduce the gap between what school officials say they need and what the town says it can afford. That increase in aid -- possibly as much as $2 million, state Rep. Deborah Blumer predicted -- will do little to make up for the $5.7 million shortfall school officials are confronting. "If the number is two (million) or three million, we're going to have to make some pretty awful cuts," School Committee Chairman Diane Throop said. "If the number is at $5.7 million, we're going to be devastating the education system." Throop's warnings came last night at a joint meeting between the School Committee, selectmen, state legislators and the Finance Committee at the Memorial Building. Local officials pressed the legislators for a forecast on how the state budget might shake out in the coming months. Gov. Mitt Romney has proposed local aid increases that would send about $3 million more to Framingham next year, officials said. But state Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, called Romney's offer "a phantom budget" that is unrealistic. "It's a feel-good budget for cities and towns," she said. The Legislature's final spending plan will likely increase aid to Framingham, but not to the level Romney proposed, the legislators said. "If I were betting in an envelope, I would say we'll have a $2 million increase," said Blumer, D-Framingham. Superintendent of Schools Christopher Martes said he expects the $5.7 million shortfall to shrink, but not disappear. "The number will come down. I'm confident," he said. He and other town officials are planning for cuts of various sizes, from $3 million up to $5 million. Meanwhile, the School Committee wants Town Meeting to push back voting on the budget for the next fiscal year to wait for preliminary budget numbers from the state. The month delay they hope for would give the committee a clearer picture on local aid numbers and possibly help them avoid planning for close to $6 million in cuts. "It would create an awful lot of anxiety if we have to rush through cuts," School Committee member Laurie Jeanne Carroll said. If the schools plan for $5.7 million cuts and then later hear the state is sending more money, it would mean "dismantling things we can't put back together again," Throop said. Selectmen will meet again with the School Committee on April 18 after the House Ways and Means Committee unveils its state budget recommendations. The two boards will then consider recommending a date for Town Meeting to begin debate. Town Meeting is scheduled to meet April 25. Members would have to convene and vote to delay taking up warrant articles. The School Committee wants to hold off on the final budget articles until the first week in June. |
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