SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board, School Committee, and Finance Committee met jointly Monday to discuss the utility reserve usage agreement with the school district and to clarify how the line item was “zeroed out” from the budget during Fiscal Year 2025.
Select Board Chair Katie Phelan said, “We wanted to make sure that we had this resolved before we went into the budget for this year,” regarding the school’s budget proposal for this year.
To provide context for the budget discussion, Cheryl Stella-Herrick, director of finance and operations, provided the Tri-Committee with a timeline beginning in October of 2023.
She cited a $175,000 line item that was not part of the final approved budget.
There were previous meetings of the Tri-Committee regarding school operations, special education, and transportation costs during the budget review process for the 2025 fiscal year.
Previously, the FY25 school budget was submitted to the town and reflected a 5.1% increase from the previous fiscal year. This budget included funds to be used for utilities at the elementary school.
Shortly after, the town administrator at the time sent an email to the former superintendent and the Select Board proposing a 3.84% school appropriation, along with two warrant articles to be used for utilities and special education.
The proposed budget was decreased, with the utilities line item zeroed out. This budget was later approved at Town Meeting.
Finance Committee Chair Eric Hartmann said the town postponed the article pending an increase in the appropriate amount to $200,000, according to Hartmann, the funds that were zeroed out are what is considered the “missing money.”
Select Board member Mary Ellen Fletcher said that while this process was occurring, she was in support of keeping $200,000 in a Utilities line item to offset utility expenses.
She added that the Board was informed that “the additional $200,000 was to offset the school’s budget, not to fund the school budget. To me, that’s where the issue for 2025 lies.”
