SWAMPSCOTT – Swampscott students could one day be crossing the town border to Lynn or Marblehead to attend school if current talk about regionalization becomes reality.Former Finance Committee Chairman Michael McClung said combining Swampscott departments and services, such as education and public safety, with that of other communities may be the answer to the town?s economic frustration.He appeared before the selectmen Wednesday night to gain a vote of approval on his proposed Town Meeting warrant article to form a committee that would focus possible regionalization methods that could benefit Swampscott.?Until we get a group focused solely on what can be regionalized, we will not get to a point in which we can get a sustainable model moving forward,” said McClung.When Selectmen David Van Dam protested that Swampscott parents would never send their children to Lynn or Salem schools, McClung said, “You?d be surprised when you talk to people with the way taxes are. Salem High School sends more students to Ivy League schools per capita than we do.”McClung added that Marblehead residents are paying almost two-thirds less per resident for police resources than Swampscott residents.?It all comes down to our residents? willingness to pay the price,” he said. “The comparison to Marblehead is one of many. I could show instance after instance where we are paying more money than surrounding communities. Given the progress of our spending pattern and the way tax rates are today, we will see a widening gap in our ability to fund what we currently do.”Selectman Barry Greenfield said a committee like the one McClung proposed was “long overdue,” but thought that language like “disincorporation and annexation” would “scare people at Town Meeting.”McClung said there would be no immediate decisions made for shared services.?A committee like this is a decade-long conversation,” he said.Van Dam said he felt that some residents wouldn?t be ready to “give away the town” to other communities.McClung said the argument of town pride, which Swampscott shares with many other New England communities, smacks of parochialism.?If we don?t spend smarter, we?ll be forced to have the conversation one way or another,” McClung said. “This way we can start the conversation in a proactive and reasoned way.”Selectmen delayed a vote on the issue because Selectman Jill Sullivan was absent and are expected to take up the matter again at their next meeting April 3.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].