Cutting school budget urged; Princeton faces $500,000 deficit.

Byline: Mark E. Ellis

PRINCETON - The issues are the same this year as every other year: an unacceptably high school budget, uncertainty over how to pay for needed roadwork, too many requests from town departments and too little cash in the coffers.

It's budget-setting time again, and for the Board of Selectmen and the Advisory Board it's time for the annual exercise of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

"Right now, we're looking at a half-million-dollar deficit," Town Administrator Dennis E. Rindone said yesterday, comparing anticipated revenues with expected expenditures. How to eliminate the deficit is the challenge facing town officials.

"We have to go to town meeting with a balanced budget, and how do we do that? I don't know," said Alan M. Sentkowski, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

This year's preliminary budget plan seeks $7,977,351, a 4 percent increase over the amount appropriated at last year's town meeting. Add to that an additional $569,173 in funding for the Wachusett Regional School District sought in a special article and the increase swells to $877,647, or 11.4 percent. The special article requires a Proposition 2-1/2 override to appropriate the money, which will fund the town's regional agreement spending assessment, known as the RASA.

According to Mr. Rindone, town officials worked diligently to keep their budget requests low this year, coming in at about 2 percent higher than last year. There are no cost-of-living raises planned for nonunion employees, and merit raises will average only about 2.5 percent, he said. Expense accounts are being kept level wherever possible.

The 2 percent budget increase does not include a $350,000 request for the town's road reconstruction program, which is included in the budget for the first time this year. In past years, funding for the roads program has been sought in special articles but because the program has gone unfunded for several years, voters made it clear last year that funding should be in the budget. That would improve its chances of being approved.

Mr. Rindone said selectmen are trying to keep it in the budget, but with the gap between revenues and expenditures as high as it is, it may have to be removed. That will depend, in part, on the school budget and how much state aid is received by the town and the school district. No one will know that until a state budget is approved.

Setting the school budget has been a perennial battle between town and school officials and usually takes months to resolve. This year may be no different. At a meeting Monday, the Board of Selectmen told Superintendent Thomas G. Pandiscio that Princeton cannot afford any increase in the school budget. Mr. Pandiscio replied that level-funding the schools would be disastrous, resulting in deep staffing cuts and all that goes with them.

Mr. Sentkowski questioned last night where cuts can be made except the school budget. "Do we take away the $8,000 for the first part-time recreation director we've ever had? I don't think so."

The budget proposed by Mr. Pandiscio for the school district is $70,168,313, up 8.9 percent from this year's budget of $64,427,068. The breakdown in the assessment to Princeton is:

$3,703,443 for the minimum contribution, up 3.5 percent from this year's appropriation of $3,578,486. The state requires the town to pay this amount as its share of the cost of operating the school district.

$569,173 for town's regional agreement spending assessment, up 55.6 percent from this year's $365,632. The town has the option of turning this down, but if the four other towns in the school district approve it, Princeton is required to pay.

$149,495 for student transportation, up 41 percent from this year's $106,065.

$166,963 for school-related long-term debt, up 212 percent from $53,406 this year.

Meanwhile, the town's assessment from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School is down this year, from $210,998 to $191,396.

The biggest increase in the budget besides schools and the roads program is for raises for union employees in the Police Department. The total increase for police officers and dispatchers is $16,896, or about 4 percent, to $437,595.

Other increases in the budget include $12,000 toward a $16,000 salary for the new position of recreation director; $8,065 for the salary for the new position of animal control officer to replace the dog officer, whose salary is $4,917; and $6,000 more for tree warden expenses, bringing that account to $13,270.

The major special articles on the warrant seek $150,000 for repairs and restoration of the exterior of the town library; $45,000 to buy a one-ton dump truck and plow for the Highway Department; $25,000 to buy a used generator to make Thomas Prince School suitable for use as a shelter; $10,600 toward lease-purchase of a new police cruiser; and $10,000 for planning and financing the town's 250th anniversary celebration in 2009.

NAME: PRINCETON SELECTMEN