The Wareham School Committee warily approved a $26.5 million net school budget for fiscal year 2017, saying the district continues to receive short shrift from town leaders.

“I will vote for this net school spending budget, while holding my nose, because it’s just not meeting the needs of our district and our kids,” said committee member Dr. Cliff Sylvia.

On April 6, the committee narrowly approved the net school school budget, a $849,757 increase over the current budget. Two members voted in favor, one against and a one abstained. Newly elected member Mary Morgan voted against the budget.

The net school budget does not include transportation costs. The total school budget of $27.9 million, a $902,428 increase from the current year, was approved 3-0 with Morgan abstaining.

Before the vote, committee members said there’s a disconnect between what local leaders say about supporting education and their actions.

Sylvia mentioned that debates before the election featured Selectmen candidates touting the benefits of a good school system for the town overall. The reality of the situation is at odds with those statements, he said.

“Right now, we’ve reached a crossroads,” said Sylvia. “If it is the most important expenditure in this town we ought to make it a priority across the board.”

In contrast, he said past budgets have not been “level service funded,” meaning the budgets don’t keep pace with yearly healthcare and payroll increases.

“Every time we don’t get a level service budget, we fall further behind in a whole slew of individual line items and then we’re consistently playing catch up,” Sylvia said.

The initial budget presented by the School Committee was $28.3 million, representing a $1.3 million (4.9 percent) increase from the current year.

At the town’s suggestion, $400,000 worth of capital improvement items were identified and removed from the school budget with the idea that Town Meeting voters would weigh in on the requests.

Those improvements include: technology upgrades, new furniture, HVAC repairs and a new truck for the maintenance department, which is in desperate need of one, according to Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood.

Member Geoff Swett said he was dismayed to learn that the $400,000 figure was reduced to $120,000 for April’s Town Meeting.

Finance Manager Michael MacMillan said the plan originally included using free cash to finance the $400,000. However, he said there isn’t sufficient free cash to do that because of snow and ice costs.

“My understanding is it’s still the plan to go to the October [Town Meeting] with these items,” said MacMillan.

Swett expressed skepticism with that plan.

“There won’t be any more free cash in October,” said Swett.

Sylvia said the decision, apparently made without School Committee input, revealed a disconcerting pattern.

“We’re always here in the eleventh hour not even sure of what we agreed to and no one’s even sure if there was a meeting of the minds,” Sylvia said. “And it always happens, here we are a couple weeks before Town Meeting and we’re not sure what’s in and what’s out.”

Final approval of the school budget is subject to a vote at Annual Town Meeting, set for April 25.