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ATTLEBORO - City officials, led by Mayor Kevin Dumas, have asked the governor to revamp the state's school funding formula in way to give more money to cities and towns like Attleboro that are investing heavily in the future.
With Gov. Deval Patrick parceling out what local officials consider a meager $304,000 increase to city schools as he attempts to fill a $1.3 billion hole in next year's state budget, Dumas, along with School Superintendent Pia Durkin and Council President Barry LaCasse, went to bat for the city arguing Attleboro is doing its share to give its schools more and so should the state.
In a letter to the governor, the trio said city spending like the $6.3 million annual debt service for five new or refurbished schools should be recognized by the state in its school aid calculations.
The city also assumes all school transportation costs and is working to create new revenue with an industrial business park, tax breaks for business and a downtown revitalization plan.
They said the the $304,000 increase in school funding, which is equal to about 1.1 percent of last year's amount, can't keep up with salary hikes never mind the funding needed to meet the challenges of the No Child Left Behind mandates.
"We believe Attleboro has taken on the responsibility of balancing the needs of its citizens while continuing to move Attleboro forward, but the draft figures from your House One budget have the potential of negatively affecting these efforts," they wrote to Patrick.
In addition, the trio described Patrick's $48,000 net increase in local aid for general government as a "crushing blow."
Fewer dollars for general government lessens its ability to help schools, they said.
A new school funding formula should take into account the city's heavy investment in its school buildings, school transportation, an industrial business park and downtown revitalization, the trio said.
"We have kept our promise of trying to keep Attleboro moving forward on fewer and fewer dollars. And we believe that a funding formula which takes into account the efforts of cities and towns like Attleboro as outlined above will indeed help you keep your promise of moving Massachusetts forward," they wrote.
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