The School Committee has agreed to reduce the amount the town will pay into the current year's education budget at the request of Town Administrator Mark Andrews, who is working to fill gaps in the municipal budget left by state local aid cuts.

Andrews requested the change after it was announced last week that around Wareham schools would be eligible to receive around $830,000 in federal grant money in November.

Andrews originally asked that the education budget be reduced by the full $822,660, and that the entire grant be used this year.

"We could run our school system this school year without losing anything, just exchanging the dollars that now are coming from the town, and putting in the dollars that we get from the federal government," said Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch, at an emergency September 1 School Committee meeting called to discuss the school budget.

But members of the School Committee expressed concern that using all of the grant money now would mean that some could not be carried over to next year, when grant and stimulus money may not be available and additional cuts to a bare-bones budget will likely be necessary.

The School Department would also not be able to use the funding for enhancements to programming, though Andrews did offer $150,000 to the district to help in that area.

"I think that what is ultimately happening is our kids are paying for the sins of this town's mismanagement for years, and I have a problem with that," said School Committee member Rachel Gillette. "I don't see how [the budget] balancing out is good enough."

The budget reduction will need to be approved by Town Meeting in October, and the deadline for adding articles to the Town Meeting warrant is Friday, which necessitated the meeting.

The School Committee, however, recognized the importance of working with the town on fiscal issues, and agreed to negotiate a budget reduction that would be favorable to both sides.

"We're in this together, there's absolutely no question about that," said School Committee Chair Cliff Sylvia.