Blackstone‑Millville committee certifies FY22 budget, assesses towns for $27.3 million plan

The Blackstone‑Millville Regional School District School Committee certified the district's FY22 budget on March 11 after a public hearing and presentations by Superintendent Jason Defalco and district staff.

The committee approved motions to adopt the district's gross operating presentation and to apply reimbursements and offsets that the administration said result in a total operating budget of $27,300,693. The board certified the alternate general‑fund presentation required by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for state filings.

Jason Defalco said the budget is anchored in the district's improvement strategy and focuses on returning students safely to classrooms and closing pandemic‑era learning gaps. Defalco told the committee the district's developed budget is about $25.975 million; with school choice and charter tuition added the total presented for assessment to the towns was $27,300,693.

During the meeting the committee approved assessment amounts to its two member towns: $9,865,799 to the town of Blackstone and $3,239,741 to the town of Millville. Administrators explained those assessments include a minimum contribution, exclusionary costs and supplemental investments tied to the district's needs‑based budget.

Committee members also voted to apply local revenue offsets that the administration listed on the record (excess & deficiency, Medicaid, user and rental fees, pre‑K tuition, and other offsets totaling roughly $473,000) and to adopt capital and interest budgets assessed to Blackstone ($360,890) and Millville ($128,278) for projects including boiler, window and roof work at district buildings.

The motions carried by voice vote with no opposition recorded.

What happens next: the signed certification and warrant materials will be forwarded to both towns for inclusion in their warrants and for the Department of Revenue certification process.