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Superintendent to present projected budget to School Committee

Date: 3/7/2011

March 7, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

WILBRAHAM — The annual budget hearing for the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) will take place on March 10.

At the hearing, slated for 6 p.m. in the media center of Minnechaug Regional High School, HWRSD Superintendent M. Martin O'Shea will present the projected budget to the School Committee. The committee will then attempt to reach an agreement to approve it.

"This will be the meeting where I present the budget to the school committee, but it won't be identified in great detail where any potential reductions may occur," O'Shea explained.

Once approved by the School Committee, the budget would have to be voted upon favorably by the residents of Hampden and Wilbraham at their respective town meetings.

O'Shea said taking the interests of multiple towns into account when developing a financial plan can be a bit more complicated, but both towns and the School Committee have done well in working together to come to a resolution in the past.

"The School Committee said publicly that it wished to have a budget that would not require any overrides for the towns. We want to work within their means," O'Shea said. "We have to keep in mind the levy limits of the two towns and fortunately, they have been on the same page with regards to school financing."

The ability for the towns to maintain a symbiotic relationship when it comes to school-related matters makes financial issues, as well as other matters, much easier to tackle.

"In other regions, there are multiple school committees for multiple towns," O'Shea explained. "But fortunately for us, the towns are able to work together and be represented by one school committee."



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