School committee approves $50,000 OPEB transfer as budget revisions narrow district shortfall

The Blackstone‑Millville Regional School Committee unanimously approved a motion March 23 to transfer $50,000 from the district’s Excess & Deficiency (E&D) fund to its Other Post‑Employment Benefits (OPEB) account, a line item the committee said had been authorized at last year’s town meetings. "I motion to approve the transfer of $50,000 from the excess and deficiency fund to the Blackstone Millville Regional School District's OPEB fund in accordance with school committee policy DLC," said Carrie Gaudette, who made the motion; Dan Keith seconded and the vote was unanimous.

The transfer was discussed as part of a broader budget update presented in the business office report. Superintendent Jason DeFalco told the committee the administration has produced a new draft that trims roughly $915,000 from a previous proposal, bringing the draft to $29,700,000. The draft assumes a $350,000 increase on the revenue side—driven by higher use of E&D and circuit‑breaker funds—and identifies potential grant offsets that are not yet awarded, including a Student Opportunity Act grant application for $350,000 and a $100,000 mental‑health grant.

DeFalco said the draft also contemplates reductions achieved by paying certain assessments up front (a reported $20,000 saving on the Worcester County retirement assessment) and by pausing or 0‑funding several current vacancies. He described three locally funded vacancies and three positions previously supported by ESSER dollars as candidates to be removed from the FY24 operating budget if towns do not accept the higher preliminary numbers.

The superintendent emphasized that the grants cited are not included in the draft totals because awards have not been received. "We did not include them in the number because we haven't been notified yet," he said, noting they would be considered only if awarded. He also clarified that OPEB is not an operating expense and was removed from the operating budget when appropriate.

Committee members asked for more detail on which positions were proposed for zeroing out, and DeFalco said the district was seeking creative approaches—such as on‑call counseling tied to grant funds—should the mental‑health grant be awarded. The administration also noted it has reduced its FTE count over the last decade in response to enrollment declines (about 404 fewer students over 10 years) but that staffing decisions are constrained by grade‑by‑grade enrollment patterns.

Next steps: the committee will continue to refine revenue and reduction proposals in advance of town meetings and the committee’s budget votes in April. The administration also flagged ongoing advocacy with state legislators about local aid and minimum local contribution formulas that could change the district’s final obligation.