1998-04-13-ATM-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Adjourned Session —1998 Annual Town Meeting, cont.... April 13, 1998 9:25 p.m. Paul Lapointe explained that the Superintendent and Appropriation Committee are working on this problem and propose to return to town meeting with a plan on handling the cost of special education. 9:27 p.m. Dr. Young stated his agreement with Mr. Lapointe and that the School Department agrees to monitor the expenses as closely as possible and is doing the best possible based upon what is know. Dr. Young supports a contingency fund for special education expenses. 9:28 p.m. David Kanter, pr.7, stated his concern about proceeding forward at this time with a known $300,000 special education shortfall. 9:28 p.m. Bruce Collier, pr.3, supported the town moving toward a rational basis of projecting special education costs. 9:30 p.m. Albert Zabin, pr. 1, commented on Mr. Pollins' remarks and reviewed the school budget process. 9:33 p.m. Perry Pollins, pr.5, responded to Mr. Zabin's comments and taxpayer considerations. Education 1100 Lexington Public Schools $45,374,378 (And further that the School Department is authorized to enter into equipment lease /purchase agreements from time to time provided that each such agreement is subject to annual appropriations.) 1200 Minuteman Regional School 725,557 9:34 p.m. Jane Pagett, Lexington's representative to the Minuteman Regional School School Committee, reviewed the development of the Minuteman school over time and presented information on district enrollment vs. out of district enrollment. Ms. Pagett, with the assistance of a fellow school committee member Paul Schlichtman from Arlington, recommended approval of the requested budget but also expressed a need to send a message to Minuteman that the proposed budget is not acceptable. 9:47 p.m. Ephraim Weiss, pr.5, questioned who decides the various tuition levels. Ms. Pagett explained that the "choice" tuition is set by the State and others are negotiated between the superintendents for out -of- district tuition. 9:50 p.m. Ephraim Weiss, pr.5, questioned if the Minuteman school committee had any fiscal authority over the tuition decisions made by the Superintendent. Ms. Pagett explained that the school committee did have authority. 9:51 p.m. Nyles Barnert, pr.4, clarified the compromise for the out -of- district agreement made for Watertown. 9:51 p.m. Paul Lapointe, Appropriation Committee, explained that the Committee is challenged with how to send a message to Minuteman and moved the following substitute motion: --------------------------------------------- SUBSTITUTE MOTION: That the following amounts be Appropriated for the ensuing fiscal year and be raised in the tax levy: 1210 Minuteman Regional Enrollment Assessment $672,169 1220 Minuteman Regional Middle School Technology Program 53,387 Total $725,556 Further, that this Town Meeting hereby rejects the FY1998 -99 Minuteman Budget and the enrollment assessment for Lexington adopted by the Minuteman School Committee. ----------------------------------- - - - - --