Saugus decides bonding better option for buying books

SAUGUS-It looks as if the Town Meeting article seeking a targeted stabilization fund for the sole purpose of buying textbooks for the School Department might fall by the wayside, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.Selectman Michael Kelleher filed the article with the intent of helping the schools but, after two discussions with the Finance Committee, he said Thursday it’s essentially been decided that bonding for textbooks is a better way to go.”I’ll call for a special Town Meeting within the annual and will bring it forth with two articles,” Kelleher said.One article will be a request to bond for textbooks and the second, he said, will be the targeted stabilization fund.”We’ll keep that article in just in case,” he said.With the stabilization article, Kelleher was seeking $100,000. Superintendent Keith Manville said the $100,000 would be most welcome, but warned town officials it would only take care of the middle school.The Finance Committee asked Manville to come back with a more realistic number that would solve all of his textbook problems.Manville’s numbers included $92,685 for the Belmonte Middle School and $117,203 for the high school. That covers math, English, social studies, history and science for both schools, as well as computers and world languages for the high school.If Manville had included the elementary schools’ needs, he said the town would have to bond for an additional $225,000. Instead, Kelleher said they would tag $85,000 on for reading books for the elementary level and round the bonding figure up to $300,000.Kelleher said at least one Finance Committee member said he wouldn’t support the bonding because he felt the books should be bought with a debt exclusion. Kelleher disagreed.”The town should pay for it,” he said. “The residents shouldn’t have to pay. I don’t want to hold them hostage for something the town should have provided years ago.”Town Meeting member Ray Lawrence said he definitely favors bonding for the books.”I think it’s the time to do it and it’s the only way we can guarantee the students actually get something,” he said.Manville is also happy with the plan.”I told them whatever you can do for us in any venue is great,” he said, cautioning that bonding for the next year’s books would have to be decided on by the end of June at the latest. “I can’t wait until the end of summer to put a textbook order in for September.Kelleher said not only is he happy this step is being taken for the School Department, but he is also happy with how it’s come about.”I’m excited because the Finance Committee was working with the Selectmen and Bob Long and I worked together,” he said. “It’s a good example of what can happen when we work together.”