Bridgewater-Raynham committee asks DESE for 15-day extension as town override votes proceed

The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee voted at its meeting to forward correspondence to the acting commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requesting a 15‑day extension to reconsider, amend or recertify the district’s fiscal 2026 budget as town override votes remain pending.

Committee members said the extension is needed because the district’s budget certification depends on the outcome of override votes in member towns and a special election scheduled for June 24. Michelle Griffin of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) advised the committee that, under state statute, the district must take action within 30 days of the first town disapproving the budget — which creates a June 15 review window in the committee’s timeline — or act by July 1 to avoid operating under a 01/12 interim budget.

DESE guidance, as reported at the meeting, set the 15‑day extension as the statutory maximum. Committee members discussed the practical effect of that limit: an approved extension would give the district time to await the special election and any override recounts or follow-ups before deciding whether to amend or recertify the budget. Staff said the extension would bridge the committee through the end of the month if necessary; if the budget remained uncertified past July 1, the district would revert to the 01/12 budget process.

A motion was made to forward correspondence from the school committee to the acting commissioner requesting the additional 15 days to “reconsider, amend, and reapportion said budget.” The motion record in the meeting transcript does not identify the mover or seconder by full name. The motion was approved unanimously by members present; the transcript records affirmative votes from Mrs. Davenport, Mrs. Mayneville, Hoyt Thomas, Mr. Cuthrow and Mrs. King, and indicates the vote was unanimous among the members present.

Committee members also asked whether the 15‑day extension could be renewed; meeting remarks record that the 15 days is the maximum allowed under the cited state statute. Members acknowledged that, depending on override results, the committee may need to reconvene to amend or recertify the budget or proceed under the interim 01/12 budget rules.

Next steps recorded at the meeting: staff will forward the extension request to the acting commissioner and monitor the results of the June 24 special election and any town override vote tallies. The committee did not adopt any amendment to the budget itself at this meeting; the action taken was limited to requesting the statutory extension.