At last week's school budget presentation, none of the Selectmen present made any significant comments on the proposal. Now, having had time to review the documents, they are beginning to break their silence.

"The schools need to live inside of the town's budget constraints," said Selectman Judith Whiteside. "A level-funded budget is what is expected."

Earlier this month Schools Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood and District Business Manager Michael MacMillan presented an initial budget proposal to the School Committee of $27,842,986. While that budget might provide level services for next year, it is not level funded. That proposal is $963,331 more than the budget for this current school year.

"The town did not ask for level service and I think they asked for level funded at the most," said Selectman Patrick Tropeano, referring to the town voters' overwhelming rejection of the Proposition 2 1/2 override last June.

Selectmen acknowledged there is a long way to go before any budgets make it to Town Meeting in April, but also lamented the proposal in the face of the drastic cuts to town departments such as Municipal Maintenance, the Council on Aging and the Library.

"That's not even a fair thing to bring forward," Tropeano said of the schools proposal.

Selectman Alan Slavin said next week Town Administrator Derek Sullivan will be presenting two budgets to the board, a balanced budget and another that more greatly meets the needs of the town, which Slavin referred to as a "wish list" budget.