Leaders of a regional school district in the Berkshires are looking at further budget cuts after voters in one of its participating towns rejected a budget override to fund the schools.Voters in Cheshire recently defeated an override measure needed to fund the town’s portion of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District’s budget. The town’s assessment was $90,000 over its levy limit. Superintendent Kristen Gordon says increased health insurance and transportation costs drove a roughly 4 percent hike in the district’s proposed $19 million budget. With roughly 1,350 students, she notes the district’s $13,000 per pupil spending is below the state average of $14,500 and the county average of $16,000. Gordon says she is sending a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requesting a month-to-month budget based on the current operating budget.
“As of June 30th at this time we have absolutely ability or permission to spend anything,” Gordon said. “We have summer special ed programs that need to get kicked off. Of course we have health insurance payments that need to be made.”
The 1/12th budgets can be utilized each month until December, according to Gordon. Voters in Cheshire approved the town’s $5.5 million budget at an annual meeting attended by 170 people knowing an override vote would be needed to support the town’s $2.6 million portion of the district’s budget, according to Selectwoman Carol Francesconi.
“We gave the date and the time so plenty of people were aware,” Francesconi said. “The problem is there were 413 people that voted for the override vote and I think that a lot of them were not at the annual town meeting, maybe perhaps didn’t really truly understand the need for this override. I’m not quite sure.”
Cheshire has roughly 2,200 registered voters. The school committee has 45 days to either submit the same budget or a revised plan, at which time Cheshire would call a special town meeting to alter the town budget. Francesconi expects that could happen in late July or early August. Meanwhile Adams’ town meeting to approve $5.5 million for its share of the district’s funding is June 23rd.
“At this point they (Adams) can vote to accept the budget as presented,” she said. “If they do that, then it depends on what Cheshire does again at our special town meeting. If Cheshire still doesn’t approve the budget that the school committee presents to us this time, we have to go to a district meeting. At a district meeting every registered voter in Adams and Cheshire can vote.”
Francesconi says in recent memory she recalls just one override vote passing out of four or five attempts in Cheshire. She says there’s no room in the town’s bare-bones budget for $90,000. If Cheshire’s portion is dropped by that figure, Adams’ assessment would decline $260,000 because the towns pay proportionally. Superintendent Gordon says the current budget proposal already cut 12 people, not including four unfilled retirees. It also adds a $70,000 curriculum director based on state recommendations. She says she will submit four or five proposals to the school committee aimed at cutting $350,000 either completely through 28 total staff cuts, go for another override or possibly close an elementary school.
“Not to get people worried or stressed out in any way shape or form because we would want to do something like that in a very thoughtful way,” Gordon said. “But is it possible? Do we have capacity at Hoosac to take on more kids and can we combine and move to one elementary school. So I know that will be a scenario I’ll be throwing out.”
Francesconi is holding out for positive news from the state budget the legislature is crafting now.
“So our only hope is that perhaps there’ll be some increase in that budget other than what the governor’s budget had presented and the same thing happens for the school budget,” Francesconi said. “So I’m hoping there might be a little bit of increased funds there.”
Despite the override failure, Gordon insists people in Cheshire and Adams support the schools.
“They are with us through thick and thin,” Gordon said. “I do think the phrase ‘Proposition 2 ½ override scares people. People struggle financially right now everywhere and particularly in our two communities. That for many people is the forever tax increase.”
