The Mendon Upton Regional School Committee discussed the effects of the Governor’s proposed budget cuts to regional transportation at the December 8, 2014 meeting. Superintendent Dr. Joseph Maruszczak said, “The governor’s action would take the fiscal year 2015 reimbursement rate of 86 percent and bring that down to the fiscal year 2014 rate of 61 percent… that represents $310,846 less revenue to the district.”
“We are going to address it in a patch work type of way,” said Maruszczak . “For the foreseeable future we are really only approving emergency and essential expenditures until we have a better handle on what is going to happen on this 9C cut. We won’t have an answer until May,” he said.
“There is a great deal of political wrangling going on about this,” Maruszczak said. “Nobody at this juncture, in a lame duck session, knows if this is really going to take place,” he said.
Maruszczak reached out to Representative Fernandez, Senator Richard Moore, and Senator elect Ryan Fattman. “They are not in support of these cuts and they are going to do what they can do so this will not be implemented,” he said.
Maruszczak reported he was approached by the Regional School Association about joining a coalition of schools looking to hire legal counsel to fight this as the cuts disproportionately effect regional school districts. According to Maruszczak the coalition is citing a law that was passed in 2010 that basically states you can’t cut regional funding at a greater percentage than chapter 70 and there have been no cuts in chapter 70.
The question posed to the committee was does the MU district want to join the coalition and pay $500 towards the legal fund.
Member Chris Russo said, “I think we have legal representation through state reps, they all know it’s wrong.”
“With the $500 what do we get,” asked Member Diane Duncan. “No matter what the decision we would be included because we are a regional school district,” she said.
Maruszczak said, “Really the question is does Mendon Upton want to join; does Mendon Upton want their voice heard through the Association of Regional School Districts.”
The committee wanted more time and information about the coalitions. Maruszczak said he would find out what other regional school districts are doing.
UPTON DAILY 