The Wareham Public School district is facing an approximately $500,000 budget gap in this year's budget as a result of cuts in state education funding.

The funding gap would have been a higher amount, but was reduced after school officials found that $270,000 earmarked to pay for increasing energy costs was unused in last year's budget, said School Committee member Geoff Swett at the committee's August 25 meeting.

Town officials are hoping that the state's receipt of $204 million in federal education funding will help reduce the gap, said Town Administrator Mark Andrews at the August 24 Board of Selectmen meeting. It is not yet known how much of the $204 million Wareham will be eligible to receive, however, and it is unclear how the funds will be distributed by the state.

The School Committee's budget subcommittee will meet with the Financial Committee in the coming weeks to discuss the situation, Swett said.