Blackstone-Millville committee certifies $30.29 million FY24 budget, flags $691,073 local increase

The Blackstone Millville Regional School Committee on March 9 certified a $30,285,016 budget for fiscal year 2024, voting unanimously to adopt a $28,530,551 gross operating budget and to apply state and other reimbursements that bring the total to $30,285,016.

The committee’s presentation outlined revenue and expenditure changes driven by the state. The district reported assigned additional expenditures of about $810,000 against additional state revenues of about $119,516, leaving a net operating increase of $691,073, district staff said. That gap, the presentation said, primarily affects the towns’ assessments: Blackstone’s minimum local contribution rises by roughly $443,302 and Millville’s by about $138,000 under the preliminary calculations presented to the committee.

“The state numbers don’t agree with us,” the presenter said, describing the impact of the Governor’s late-arriving Cherry Sheet figures on a process that typically finishes earlier in the year. The presenter told the committee the district has worked to find offsets — including ESSER rollover, excess and deficiency (E&D) use, gate and user fees, and circuit-breaker special-education reimbursements — but that those offsets do not fully eliminate the assessment increase.

Committee members then moved a set of certification motions in sequence: to adopt the gross operating budget for 2023–24; to apply reimbursements (Chapter 70, regional transportation, school choice tuition, charter reimbursements) to reduce the gross operating budget; and to assess the resulting amounts to the towns. Each motion was read, seconded and approved unanimously. The committee also adopted an alternate presentation of the budget for Department of Revenue calculation purposes.

The presenters highlighted several revenue lines the public often asks about: the district’s Chapter 70 allocation, transportation reimbursements, school choice receipts (36 students at an estimated $5,000 each), charter reimbursements and federal grants including IDEA and Title I. The operating budget alone was presented as $28,530,551; with sending and related tuition and reimbursements the total expenditures figure used for town assessments is $30,285,016.

Officials emphasized the district’s limited control over some drivers of cost: state-assigned minimum local contributions to the towns and mandated sending/transportation costs. The presenter noted the district had reduced full-time equivalencies in prior budgets and used ESSER funds for temporary offsets, but said the current state numbers and increases in health insurance, special-education tuition and transportation create a structural challenge.

The committee was told it may recertify the budget if state numbers change before the end of the fiscal process but that certification tonight sets an upper bound: the district may recertify to lower the number later, but cannot certify a higher figure than adopted tonight.

Next steps listed by staff included further budget refinements and a return to the committee with additional information later in March. Members urged public advocacy through regional associations and legislative contacts if the Governor’s numbers remain unfavorable to regional districts.

Votes and formal actions

- Motion to adopt gross operating budget for 2023–2024: $28,530,551. Mover: Tara. Second: Dan. Outcome: approved (unanimous as recorded). - Motion to apply reimbursements to reduce the gross operating budget (Chapter 70 $11,133,169; regional transportation $739,891; school choice tuition $182,522; charter reimbursement $283,044) leaving a total operating budget of $30,285,016. Mover: [committee]. Outcome: approved (unanimous as recorded). - Motion to assess $11,875,839 to the town of Blackstone and $3,924,126 to the town of Millville (preliminary assessments shown in the packet). Outcome: approved (unanimous as recorded).

The committee packet and the budget certification document will be posted to the district’s FY24 budget webpage, staff said. The district noted certified unencumbered E&D at about $1.2 million and said it planned to continue using available offsets while seeking advocacy at the state level for regional-district funding adjustments.

The public hearing that preceded the certification allowed committee members and staff to explain the numbers; there were no public comments recorded that changed the motions presented to the committee. The committee closed the public hearing and proceeded with other agenda items.