Cheshire, Massachusetts residents shot down the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District’s $19.2 million budget at the annual town meeting Monday.
Residents rejected the school budget after the Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee decided to close Cheshire Elementary School next year.
Paul Butler is School District Chairman.
“It unfortunately came down along town lines that – that the, the vote was 4 to3 – Plunkett would be the surviving school and that Cheshire would close,” Butler says.
C.T. Plunkett Elementary School is located in Adams.
Both towns need to approve the new budget within 30 days.
Normally, this would need to be done before July 1st – the beginning of the fiscal year – but according to state law and a 15-day extension requested by Superintendent Rob Putnam, the district is on a looser timetable, Putnam says.
“What I have already had to do is I have contacted the Department of Education – Christine Lynch at the Department of Education – and informed her that our budget has not, will not be passed by July 1st. So what happens is, there’s as I said a prescribed set of steps that then have to be taken,” Putnam says.
The district will have to work with the state to operate a monthly contingency budget until a complete one can be passed.
Cheshire has scheduled a special town meeting on July 17 to try again to pass the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget.
Adams residents vote on their budget on Monday, and the School Committee will meet Tuesday to refile the budget – with revisions if needed.
“There are a lot of moving parts here, so I’m – I’m trying to…," Putnam says. "I’ll know better how thing are going to stand in a little bit. But this is just the procedure.”
Putnam says if it is shot down a second time, the entire district will vote together.
“Then, the approval of the budget will – shall require the affirmative vote of at least a majority of those registered voters present and voting... thereon, by counted vote,” Putnam says.
…and majority rules.
“So if the majority of the voters approve of greater or lesser amounts of the budget, that amount shall be placed before the school district for ratification. so essentially, the hope is – is that we will not get to the point of a…of a district-wide meeting,” Putnam says.
Butler says after that, if there is still no conclusion, the state gets involved.
“I don’t think I have ever seen the school budget get shot down, so, this is, kind of new territory for me as well,” Butler says.
That’s partially true. Two years ago the school budget was defeated, but an amended budget went through before the next fiscal year.
Putnam, who started as superintendent last July, says this is the first time the budget-making process will run into the next fiscal year.
“This could draw, drag out for a long time,” Putnam says.
If the towns cannot agree on a budget by December 1st, the state takes over the school district.
Some Cheshire residents are still calling for Cheshire Elementary School to remain open – despite rejecting every plan to do so.
“I completely understand the the desire to maintain an elementary school in in the town of Cheshire. If the towns of Adams and Cheshire had sufficient funding, I would certainly – I would not be closing this for any other reason other than the fact that there does – there are, are not sufficient funds to maintain the school… basically maintain the school and provide all the services that are required in to improve education in the district,” Putnam says.
Opponents say it is unfair that the school committee chose to close it over Plunkett in Adams, where prekindergarten through third grade will be housed. Putnam says keeping both elementary schools open would mean tax hikes in both towns of 10 percent.
“The issue about the budget – at the heart of my desire is to recognize the fiscal constraints of our towns, while providing the best possible education that I can to the children of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District,” Putnam says.
Meanwhile, voters in nearby Lanesborourgh approved an $11 million budget, even adding $48,000 for a second kindergarten class.
