Superintendent: Level Service Budget Creates Difficult Situations

As the Shrewsbury Public Schools continue to look for a solution to their financial stress, the Board of Selectmen have approved a level service budget for the department.

Superintendent Joseph Sawyer sent a letter to parents today outlining the situation from his perspective.

“This new level of funding support is significantly more than the Town Manager's original recommendation, and I appreciate that the Town Manager and Selectmen have been able to recommend an increase that would allow us to maintain the same situation as the current year, without requiring further cuts to personnel or programming,” Sawyer wrote.

But the problem isn’t solved by the budget recommendation.

The Selectmen have said that they will not be in favor of an override for the schools.

“The bottom line is that it appears that next year the district will have enough resources to avoid making more cuts, but not enough resources to make restorations as we had hoped.”

TELL US: Would you rather see the school’s ask for an override, or are you happy with the selectmen’s decision?