Swampscott selectman: No to override

SWAMPSCOTT-Some elected officials are questioning why the School Committee would vote to submit a budget that is $1 million more than the district is slated to receive from the town.Last week, the School Committee submitted a $23,035,556 budget to the Board of Selectmen. The town has already said it is allocating $21,980,000 to the schools, which leaves a deficit of $1,055,555.Selectman Marc Paster said submitting a budget the School Department has already been told the town could not fund seems like a futile exercise at best.?I have to wonder what their motivation was,” he said. “It is a waste of time to submit a budget when they have already been told the money is not available to fund it.”Board of Selectman Chairman Adam Forman was unavailable for comment, but Selectman Anthony Scibelli expressed concern about the upcoming budget process and departmental overrides. He said the School Committee and Superintendent Matthew Malone would be working on making cuts to balance the budget.?I’m hoping they find a way to cut it,” he said. “They are going to have to make some cuts in Malone’s recommended budget.”Paster said he has to wonder if the School Department is positioning itself to ask for an override. School Committee Chairman David Whelan was unavailable for comment, but in interviews last week he said the School Committee has no intention of asking for an override.Scibelli said he personally doesn’t believe an override is necessary based on the information he has at this time.?An override should only be a last resort for any department,” he said. “At this point I do not support any overrides for FY ’09 because I am not convinced an override is necessary.”Attempts to reach Superintendent Matthew Malone were unsuccessful on Tuesday but at a recent School Committee meeting he presented a $23,035,556 budget, which includes several new programs and positions.The amount Town Administrator Andrew Maylor is recommending for the schools is approximately $500,000 more than it received last year, but it is an amount school officials said is inadequate.In addition to the money required to maintain the current level of services, Malone said his recommended budget includes more than $350,000 for new programs and other new expenses.His budget assumes all fifth grade students would move to the middle school, which would free up three classrooms in the elementary schools so the budget approved by the School Committee includes hiring three new elementary school teachers to reduce class sizes.The budget approved by the School Committee also includes assistant athletic directors for the high school and a part-time middle school secretary. Under programming increases Malone added $20,000 for snow removal and $12,740 to maintain the field house in Blocksidge Field.Before an override could even go to Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen must approve putting an override article on the warrant, which Paster said he would not do.?I would not vote to put an override on the ballot for the School Department or any other department in town,” he said. “I believe the School Department could function within its budget if it chose to do so. Every department in town needs to learn to live within its means and the schools are no exception.”