LISBON — A sometimes contentious school budget workshop Tuesday night between the Town Council and the School Committee ended without agreement on a spending plan to present to voters Sept. 22.

Voters rejected a $14.93 million budget on June 9 and a $14.88 million budget on Aug. 11, with the majority saying each time that it’s not enough money.

The council and committee were at odds over including potential savings from the ongoing school gym construction project in the 2015-16 spending plan. The council was against it; the committee for adding it.

That issue has apparently been resolved. 

“I’m happy to see our bond counsels agree,” Town Council Chairman Dillon Pesce said Tuesday night. The counsels said the savings should not be included in the budget until the project is finished, which is expected to be by Sept. 25.

By the time the council votes on a budget next week, the project will be about 95 percent complete, Pesce said, adding that he was still considering whether he would vote to include the savings in the budget.

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The School Committee is expected to present another budget proposal at the Sept. 15 council meeting, with a public hearing to follow that evening. The council will vote on a budget amount after the hearing and that figure will go to referendum Sept. 22.

School Committee Chairwoman Traci Austin said the committee had come up with a proposed budget of $749,739 for the local share, $316,812 less than what was proposed in July. However, that number still leaves a hole of $234,000 to be filled, even if the school gym bond proceeds were included in the budget.

The total additional local share proposed by the School Committee is still higher than the $515,000 the council voted to raise in the last budget approved July 21 and rejected by voters Aug. 11, Pesce said.

Taxes have already been committed, Pesce said, reminding the committee that the amount to be raised cannot exceed $515,000.

Austin asked why the council committed taxes before the school budget had been approved.

“We had to commit taxes — no question, it had to get done,” Pesce said. “The town didn’t have enough money to pay bills.”

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Austin asked why the council, knowing the budget was defeated Aug. 11 by voters who said it was too low, didn’t increase the the amount of money when they committed taxes.

“The charter says we have to use the last approved budget by council,” Pesce said.

When Pesce addressed School Committee member Peter Reed by his first name, Reed interrupted. “It’s Mr. Reed,” he said.

“I just don’t understand,” Reed said. “People went to the polls and voted it down because it was too low and then you cut it again. It was the Town Council’s way or the highway.”

Pesce warned, “It’s not going to be a confrontational meeting. I’ll close it.”

Reed said the School Department would have to cut programs and lay off teachers.

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“Why do you always say you have to cut the kids’ programs?” Councilman Eric Metivier asked Reed. “That’s the last thing we want. Why did you fill all the positions that were empty? Why don’t you consolidate at Central Office?”

Austin answered, “We are consolidated at Central Office. We have broken apart positions as much as we can.”

“Why not cut from Adult Ed?” Metivier asked.

“Anything we cut now will hurt students,” Reed said.

“People have thanked me for not bowing down to bullying,” Pesce said.

“Our administration made the hard decisions,” Pesce said. “I have to think of the big umbrella. I know there is fat everywhere — administrators pad their budgets because they know their budgets will be cut. You can’t make these decisions and be popular.”

Austin said she takes offense at Pesce saying “it is a special interest group that has showed up at the polls.

“This exercise was one we all needed to do,” Austin said of the workshop.


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