School Budget Has Cheshire Pondering Prop 2.5 Override
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen voted to schedule a Proposition 2.5 override vote, a move seen as a precaution to cover funding for the Hoosac Valley Regional School District if an agreement between the school and town cannot be reached.
The town's 2025 fiscal year budget is still being finalized, and while budget totals were not available as of Tuesday night, town leaders have already expressed concerns regarding the HVRSD's proposed $23 million budget, which would include a $3,097,123 assessment for Cheshire, reflecting a $148,661 increase.
The board did share that its early budget drafts maintain most town spending at current levels and defer several projects and purchases. Chairman Shawn McGrath said with a level-funded HVRSD budget, Cheshire would face a $165,838 budget gap. He believed this was an amount the town could safely pull from free cash and reserves.
However, with Hoosac's proposed budget increase, this budget gap is closer to $316,000, an amount member Jason Levesque did not want to drain from the town reserves.
"I am not comfortable blowing through all of the stuff we have nitpicked over the last couple of years to save up for just to meet their budget," he said. "I am not OK with that. We have way too many other things that have been kicked down the road forever and every year they always get their check cashed."
The Selectmen agreed the only way to meet this increase would be for the town to pass an override that would permit it to increase property taxes beyond the state's 2.5 percent cap, an action requiring approval from Cheshire residents in a townwide vote as well as town meeting approval.
Selectwoman Michelle Francesconi said that without an override, the town would have to cut even deeper into the municipal budget, further derailing town projects and needs.
"If we don't move forward with the two-and-a-half override, we have to compromise the town because of the school district — again," Francesconi said. "I don't want that to be the outcome. I want the taxpayers to say, 'we've had enough with the school district and these increases.'"
At this point, the vote to schedule the override special election is precautionary as the town needs to meet legal timelines in relation to the end of the fiscal year.
There was hope among the board that the school district would reconsider its budget and perhaps work with the town to find a more manageable increase, if at all. If this happens, it would rescind the special election.
The board members expressed reluctance to support the school budget in its current form. Francesconi and Selectman Ronald DeAngelis added that if an override vote is necessary, they plan to vote against it.
If an override vote fails or is not approved by town meeting, the school district has the opportunity to either submit a new budget or resubmit the original one. If a budget is not approved by July 1, the school district will be forced to operate on a 1/12 budget — essentially funding the district month-to-month at a reduced rate.
The board heard the McCann Technical School budget, which will assess the town $547,330, without much comment, but another level of complexity was added to the education budget when Police Chief Michael Alibozek presented a budget that included a school resource officer (SRO).
Alibozek said the school district had requested that the town share the $78,015 cost of an SRO, including retirement and insurance. Of this, the school would cover $62,871 leaving the town with the remaining $15,143. "That's a lot," Alibozek acknowledged.
He said the split is determined by the number of hours the officer would spend at the school and how often they would be available to the town, for example during school closures and for emergencies.
The board questioned the necessity of an additional officer for the town, as well as the likely possibility of purchasing an additional cruiser for the position, an initial cost of upwards of $100,000.
They requested more clarity on the costs and logistics of maintaining a school resource officer at Hoosac Valley. Chiefly, they were worried about long-term costs and liability.
It was believed that the school planned to use rural aid to fund its portion of the SRO, but there was a concern that Cheshire would end up paying a larger portion of the officer's salary if the position is ultimately rolled into the operating budget.
Finance Committee Chair John Trembley questioned why the town of Adams was not part of the conversation. "If we're going to design a position for the school, shouldn't our partner in the school district be involved?" he asked.
DeAngelis agreed, feeling it was unfair to make Cheshire responsible for hiring an SRO, noting that there are more Adams students in the district, and the Adams Police Department could more easily defray the cost of hiring a new officer.
"They have a much bigger tax base that absorbs when the school doesn't need an officer to be taken into their system," he explained, while also questioning whether the State Police could be involved.
Alibozek doubted the possibility of an Adams police officer being placed at Hoosac Valley, which is physically located in Cheshire. "They don't have jurisdiction in this town," he said.
Francesconi felt an agreement with Adams could be made and wanted to get a legal opinion on the matter. "I 100 percent think there needs to be a school resource officer," she stated. While the sentiment was shared by most everyone at the table, the concerns over funding remained unresolved.
"There's no easy answer," concluded McGrath. "That's the problem."
Tags: cheshire_budget, fiscal 2025,
