TOWN OF PRINCETON, MA
Princeton Advisory Board
Meeting Minutes
25 November 2013
AB Chair, John Shipman, called the meeting to order at 5:08 p.m.
AB members in attendance were: John Shipman, Jim Comer, George Handy, Dave Cruise, and Wayne Adams. Absent: Joe Lotuff, Jim O'Coin
Agenda
- Discuss Chapter 70 Funding
- Approve Nov 18 2013 Minutes
- Discuss Nov 18 2013 Road Committee Presentation
Agenda amended with topic Planning by Dave Cruise. Agenda motioned by George Handy, seconded by Jim Comer, and approved by all in attendance.
Minutes
Nov 18 2013 Advisory Board minutes motioned for approval by George Handy, seconded by Jim Comer and approved by all in attendance.
Road Committee
Nov 20 2013 Road Committee Chair provided phases and payment clarification to the Advisory Board per the Nov 18 meeting request with the following details for the Rt 140/East Princeton Village Project:
- Phase I total is $185,000. We have paid 25% to date ($46,375); balance has been encumbered to pay when Phase I is complete.
- Phase II is $190,000 and Phase III is $108,000.
- Town Meeting appropriated the $190,000 in May 2013. Plan has been to appropriate the $108,000 in May 2014 as shown with the Road Committee spreadsheet (provided Nov 18)..
Chapter 70 Funding
Reference materials for the discussion were provided as follows:
- From George Handy: Set of 7 spreadsheets tracking State, WRSD, and Princeton budgets, chapter 70 funding allocation, and Princeton funding obligations.
George Handy and Dave Cruise led a discussion on the FY14 Chapter 70 funding obligations for Princeton, with their analysis being Princeton is one of the highest paying towns in MA for its school obligations based on per student costs and nominal percentage of Chapter 70 funding the state provides Princeton as part of WRSD. Since the Chapter 70 funding formula can unfairly skew a towns Chapter 70 school funds received from the state when there is a mix of declining enrollment, the effect of participation in a regional school agreement, and above average wealth indicators (for family income and property valuation) of the amount the town
must pay, all Town of Princeton taxpayers are effected with increased taxes collected through the yearly real estate bill. One baseline objective of the formula is that no town pay more than 82.5% of the state calculated minimum school budget and the state contributes 17.5%. In the case of Princeton, the town is paying 99.5% . Towns in MA with similar or greater wealth indicators are paying in the range of 87%-90%. The effect of this inequity on the town’s taxpayers is in excess of a half million dollars.
The Advisory Board objective for the next fiscal year is to have the Chapter 70 fund allocation for Princeton be fair and in-range of other towns with similar demographics. This could be done by finishing the full implementation of the Chapter 70 fund formula, as proposed in the Governor’s budget last year or special allocations for an aggrieved town. Additionally, the AB wants to have the town look into FY13 relief allocation from a special state fund setup for this purpose. Another nearby town Athol recently applied and received funds for their aggrieved situation in their regional school district. Another option for consideration is WRSD to change the town obligation split, per Chapter 16B, which would deviate from state methods. See https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXII/Chapter71/Section16B .
The next steps to raise awareness and develop a plan include:
- invite Town of Princeton School Committee Reps to the next AB meeting
- discuss with Board of Selectmen to plan a future town meeting whereby State representatives come to listen to our town's situation. [Recently Rutland convened a meeting for the Devereux school funding, as reported in the Landmark]
- discuss with Board of Selectmen the merits of drafting a letter to other state leaders involved in Chapter 70 funding, .e.g. Roger Hatch.
Motion by George Handy to invite School Committee Reps to next AB meeting and inform BOS of the meeting for their optional attendance. Seconded by Dave Cruise and approved by all in attendance.
Action item for John Shipman is to obtain this year's school enrollment numbers to further aide AB planning and projections.
AB members Dave Cruise and John Shipman plan to attend the WRSD open meetings to meet the candidates seeking the superintendent position.
Planning
Dave Cruise led a discussion on recommendations on where the AB should be prepared to do deep dives in critical topics for the coming year including the school budget, the broadband committee work, and other sizeable finance related matters. All agreed we will have a busy year of AB meetings and joint meetings with the BOS as the new budget is formulated.
Other
Jim Comer has to take a leave of absence for several months. Wayne Adams has accepted the responsibilities of the Secretary to record and post meeting minutes.
Motion to Adjourn
John Shipman, Chair, moved to adjourn the 25 November 2013 board meeting at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wayne M. Adams, AB Member
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