The Board of Selectmen and the School Committee reached a rare consensus at the opening night of Town Meeting on Monday evening, agreeing to support a budget that funded the school system beyond minimum state requirements for the first time in several years.

“Believe me, there's not a lot of times [the Board of Selectmen and School Department] agree on something,” Selectman Brenda Eckstrom said, alluding to several events in recent memory including the School Committee voting “no confidence” in the Selectmen last spring. This article, “it's a good thing.”

School Committee Chairman Cliff Sylvia agreed. “This didn't happen by happenstance,” Sylvia said. The collaboration among the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and Town Administrator Mark Andrews was done “to work in the best interest of the kids and the taxpayers. I think this accomplishes both things, this benefits the school department and entitles the town to balance the budget."

Not that there wasn't debate.

The budget was originally set at the Spring Town Meeting assuming that the state funding would remain comparable to the 2010 level of $12.9 million. However, the ultimate budget signed by Governor Patrick cut the state's contribution to schools, leaving Wareham schools short by $822,660.

The Federal government allocated stimulus funds to replace those cuts in state aid through grants for hiring of teachers and new programming.

The School Committee requested that the money from these grants be spent over two years rather than all at once. They argued that it was wiser more sustainable to implement new programs and hire new teachers slowly and hope that the budget outlook improved over two years rather than hiring new teachers and starting new programs for only a year and then immediately cutting them when next year's budget needed balancing and the funds were unavailable.

To only use the federal grants for half of the budget shortfall, as well as balance the budget, however, the town was required to contribute $415,000 to the school budget.

The Board of Selectmen had disagreed on this in its review of the articles on the warrant, with Selectmen Eckstrom and Walter Cruz voting against the article and Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue and Cara Winslow abstaining from a vote on the article until the final numbers had been worked out.  (Selectman Holmes was not at the meeting.)

This maneuvering of federal, state, and municipal monies caused quite some confusing math among Town Meeting.

Added to this confusion were all sorts of questions and statements adding to the uncertainty in the room.

Residents spoke both in favor and against what would amount to increased funding for the school. Procedural questions arose when a citizen asked to “call the vote” and stop debate.

Lastly, Town Administrator Mark Andrews' stated that the town's contribution of $415,000 would come from a previously unannounced reserve of $1.75 million of “free cash” - essentially not-budgeted money in a fund that was recently certified by the state to be $1 million more than previously estimated.

But while the schools will receive additional funds this year, the School Committee may not have an easy time convincing the town to make up for shortfalls in next year's budget.

“It's a one-time infusion of cash,” Selectmen Donahue said. “There won't be anything for them to dip into in the future.”

Town Meeting addressed 13 of the 91 articles scheduled to be debated. In other business:

• Town Meeting approved an increase in the Water Pollution Control Facility Enterprise Fund budget necessary to meet increased staffing and state-mandated overtime expenses.  Sewer users will see their bills rise by approximately $12 per year to fund the increased budget.
• Capital equipment and vehicles for the Municipal Maintenance department, computer upgrades at Town Hall and the Police Station, and a new radio communication system were approved at the recommendation of the Capital Project Committee, were all approved.
• Town Meeting approved the use of $225,000 of Community Preservation Funds to acquire 49.5 acres along the main branch of the Weweantic River.  The land will be placed in conservation restriction, and abuts the Fearing Hill, creating 115 contiguous acres of protected land in West Wareham.  It is the first phase of a three-phase project to develop a "corridor" of open space along the river.
• Town Meeting voted not to allocate $13,000 of Community Preservation funds to investigate the restoration of the Everett Educational Center.  Used by the School Department for offices, the building is the former High School and was moved to Gibbs Avenue, next to the Congregational Church, in 1908.  Voters argued that the town could use the equipment authorized to be purchased by Municipal Maintenance to investigate water-drainage issues rather than hiring a consultant to do the same task.

Town Meeting continues tonight at 7 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.