Letter from Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Re: Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District – Fiscal Oversight pursuant to M.G.L. c. 71,
§ 16B and 603 CMR 41.07

Dear Dr. Azar, Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Pacheco and Mr. Schwall:

We are aware that your constituents recently voted against the school committee’s latest proposed FY20 budget at the Rehoboth Town meeting on October 29, 2019, and that the district-wide meeting November 2, 2019 was canceled. In accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 71, § 16B and 603 CMR 41.07, in the event a local budget is not adopted by December 1, 2019, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) shall establish a budget for the year and shall assume fiscal oversight of the district.

Once the Department sets the final district budget for the year, the treasurer of the regional school district must calculate and certify to the member municipalities their respective assessments based on the statutory method. The member communities will be obligated to appropriate their respective assessments based on this budget and make payments to the regional school district consistent with the payment schedule outlined in the regional district agreement. This budget and Department’s fiscal oversight will remain in place until the end of the fiscal year or until the member towns have approved a budget for the subsequent fiscal year, whichever is later. It is important to note that this budget may be different than the interim “1/12th budget” under which the district is currently operating.

In preparation for the establishment of this fiscal budget for FY20, the Department seeks your input. Accordingly, we request that you provide the Department with any information you or your constituents wish the Commissioner to consider in setting this budget. Please include information on other sources of town or district revenue that may be available to support the school committee budget, information on the district’s outstanding debt and expenditures and how that compares to prior years, and any other information you believe is relevant to the Commissioner’s determination of on the final budget for the year. Please send this information no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, November 18, 2019 by email to:
Christine Lynch at clunch@doe.mass.edu , and
Michelle Griffin at mgriffin@doe.mass.edu.

Please contact Ms. Lynch or Ms. Griffin if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Jay Sullivan
Associate Commissioner