Apparently circulating on social media: in part, "Our select board (Yep looking at you, Mr. Bennett) and town administrator should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to engage in the Us. Vs. Them narrative that some very bitter, very nasty, very toxic, loud minority of people in town started a long time ago. It’s time for our elected officials to spend less time repeating what the Hatfields and McCoys are saying and more time: courting businesses;"

Well, lets break it down; it is my fault, I am one who back in 2013 stated I believe we need a one million dollar override to get the town in a better revenue position. I stated the same thing the last time and override was put before the voters, the members of the board of selectmen at the time thought it was too much and would not pass, rather than try, they put forth the minimum override. While attending a school district budget sub-committee meeting, I suggested that rather than the school accepting no increase, they get a little more from the town and that did happen (thank you voters).

Templeton had a business looking to move into the previous Baldwinville school, apparently they just backed out of that option and now we are back to square one on that front.

If the author of the social media post is serious, volunteer for the EDIC and try to help bring business into town.

On the revenue front, here is my position right now; Templeton has a tax levy and like many towns we use the maximum amount to "budget" off of. Like many other towns, Templeton does not collect 100% of the tax levy year to year, right now, the collection rate is around 97%, so I am trying to get the number at 97 or 95% and try to build up excess levy capacity, so when something arises dollar wise, the are funds available to use rather than cut, which only adds to the problem on the town side. Remember, towns are under constraints of prop 2 1/2, while regional school districts are not. In fact, regional school districts are a separate legal entity with very different rules. As a selectmen, I make as strong a case for my town as I can, because as a selectmen, I feel that is my duty and as I have told the superintendent of schools, if I was on the school committee, I would be doing the same for the school district; head to head with the towns, because that would be my duty.

Lastly, an email to the superintendent of schools:
my personal thoughts on the subject and what is at stake:

Chris;
Just so you understand, I get how or why things are posted, however, when I look at the spread sheet from the district for last night's meeting, I see Total estimated receipts (no distinguishing between general fund, special fund revolving, etc.) then I look at DESE and I see total receipts and net estimated charges; no distinguishing of general, special or revolving funds. If the charter school reimb., transportation had the up to date numbers, from DESE website, I would not have spoke.

The other thing I go with, and Carter tries to talk me down from this, is the fact that DESE totals, when added to E&D and Medicaid, it shows the district with about 400 thousand more in aid than the district's numbers, and no matter how I personally slice it, it still does not add up. My ideas on being a selectmen is to fight for all the residents first (town) while trying to be practical. If I were a school committee member, I would act the same way and I would fight harder for the entity. So, when we begin next budget talks, district and selectmen and finance committee need to get in room and talk about stuff, money! After the initial meet, perhaps we have unofficial meeting, like we had in the conference room with a selectmen from Phillipston, a finance committee from Phillipston, couple selectmen from Templeton (keeping everybody from a quorum problem) advisory committee members (couple) and town administrators. Magarette is unique as she is school comm and finance committee of Phillipston, and I suppose we could include the superintendent too. We can perhaps bang out an approach to present school funding while work up an approach to legislature for more pressure on school funding. Right now, it looks to me that the governor, legislature, DESE, Commissioner are all trying to take us (towns and regional schools) down a path that is not going to be good for any of us. When you and Carter and/or Kevin speak, please keep some of that in mind and see what they think.

regards;
Jeff Bennett

Again, once details are banged out, we have several open public meetings and we present unified approach to budget and both entities would most likely have to give a bit, but our unwavering effort should be towards the state and to add to our coalition with other towns and school districts. We have to get more state aid and involvement west of 495. So if the author of the social media post thinks I am the problem, please run for selectmen and volunteer much of your time towards the effort. I will be there to question you all the time, because that is my right as a resident.

Jeff Bennett

1 min · 

From the website of Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)

FY20 Chapter 70 aid and required contribution calculations
Chapter 70 is the Commonwealth's program for ensuring adequate and equitable K–12 education funding. It determines an adequate spending level for each school district (the foundation budget). It then uses each community's property values and residents' incomes to determine how much of the foundation budget should be funded from local property taxes. Chapter 70 state aid pays for the remaining amount.

Narragansett foundation enrollment is listed at 1290 students.
FY 2020 Foundation budget listed at $14,647,553.00.

How foundation budgets are calculated
In Massachusetts, the definition of an adequate spending level for a school district is called its foundation budget. The goal of the Chapter 70 formula is to ensure that every district has sufficient resources to meet its foundation budget spending level, through an equitable combination of local property taxes and state aid. The foundation budget is perhaps the most important factor used in calculating a district’s Chapter 70 state education aid.

The foundation budget has its origins in three milestones:

• The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education’s (MBAE) release of Every Child a Winner, an influential report that laid the groundwork for what would ultimately become the 1993 Education Reform Act. In the report, MBAE calls for “high standards, accountability for performance, and equitable distribution of resources among school districts.”

• McDuffy v. Secretary of the Executive Office of Education (1993), where the Supreme Judicial Court held that the education clause imposes on the Commonwealth “an enforceable duty to provide an education for all students regardless of wealth through the public schools.”

• The 1993 Education Reform Act, “which for the first time, established a required ‘foundation’ level of spending for each district in the Commonwealth that was to be reached by the establishment of both a state-mandated, required local contribution and a supplemental amount of state aid.”