$91,500 Prop. 2-1/2 override on election ballot.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: Debbie LaPlaca

DUDLEY - As one measure to overcome a projected $1.5 million budget deficit for next fiscal year, selectmen have decided to place a $91,500 Proposition 2-1/2 override on the May election ballot.

The operating budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 is far from complete, but as of the board's meeting Monday, the $14.1 million plan is about $1 million more than for the current fiscal year and still in the red.

The override is to offset a fixed portion of the assessments for the town's two regional schools.

"Dudley is getting hit with a fee. The bottom line is it's $91,500 more than we anticipated," Selectman Steven P. Sullivan said Monday.

At a recent budget presentation to selectmen, Bay Path Business Manager John Lafleche said the change in the state's Chapter 70 formula for school funding has redefined the amount Dudley is expected to pay toward public education.

The state formerly considered a town's property value in determining its minimum contribution. The wealth formula, enacted about five years ago, adds the total income of residents to the equation.

Under this formula, Dudley is expected to contribute $8.4 million toward its public schools, Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School and The Dudley-Charlton Regional School District. This fiscal year, it spent...