Framingham finance subcommittee says it cannot recommend school budget as $1.4 million gap remains

Framingham — The finance subcommittee of the Framingham City Council on May 15 told the full council it could not make a recommendation on the Framingham Public Schools budget because a roughly $1.4 million gap remains between the school committee’s request and the city’s recommended figures.

The subcommittee’s chair said the budget timeline imposed by the city charter and state tax-levy rules left the panel with too little information and time to produce an informed recommendation. The school committee and administration told the subcommittee they expect to continue deliberations and to reconvene before the school committee’s next meeting to try to close the gap.

The dispute centers on the school committee’s current request for an increase the administration described in a May 7 presentation as an $11,896,741 rise (6.89%). The mayor has proposed adding roughly $2.5 million toward the gap; school committee members said their most recent work reduced the shortfall to about $1,396,741 but have not finalized the request. School…