By MEGAN DOOLEY

In its final meeting for the 2010 school year, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School district committee put its year-end financial house in order, and thanked the district’s financial team for working diligently to tackle the many roadblocks encountered throughout the school year, including cuts in state funding that led to hefty budget deficits.

Committee chairman Susan Mercier warmly thanked school business administrator Amy Tierney, high school finance manager Mark Friedman, and the entire financial staff for a job well done.

Mr. Friedman said school assessments have been paid by Island towns, and most state revenues have come in, leaving the school with a projected revenue shortfall of some $225,000 to $230,000, down from the $315,000 projected at the beginning of the school year. “We still have a few line items to close out,” he said, “but overall the budget is in better shape than was expected last fall.”

The committee also approved a new capital plan for fiscal years 2011 through 2015, which includes two new repair and maintenance projects from last year’s plan. Those include a roof and flashing repair project at a cost of $50,000, and a tennis court repair project at a cost of $25,000. “For the most part, things are the same as the prior plan,” said Mr. Friedman.

The total price tag for the five-year capital plan is just under $1.8 million. The plan includes mostly maintenance projects, such as annual interior painting, parking lot and grounds upkeep, field repairs and landscaping.

Additional funding for the plan will come from unused funds left over from capital projects approved by the committee in the past. Nine different completed projects came in under budget, including an exterior painting project and a roof and window repair project. The committee voted to use the money left over, some $80,000, to offset the capital plan budget. Mr. Friedman said the money will go toward three projects: Classroom tiling and abatement, roof and flashing repairs, and a track renovation study.

Committee member Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter said he felt this was a misuse of the excess funds. “I don’t think this is an appropriate way to budget funds for expenses,” he said. “[It] doesn’t sound like good fiscal practice.”

But Ms. Tierney disagreed. “It’s great that there’s money left over, that we did the job for less than we thought it would be,” she said. “To keep this money now and put it in a capital expenditure plan is a good idea.”

Committee member Susan Parker said she was pleased that the school had come in under budget for so many projects, but asked why there was some $55,000 left over from an exterior painting project, much more than was saved in the other projects.

Ms. Tierney said original estimates for the project costs were high, but when it went out to bid several years later, the bids had dropped due to a failing economy. “That’s why there’s $55,000 left over there,” she said.

In other business, the committee accepted a $10,000 grant from the van Ameringen Foundation for the high school. The committee also approved a pilot program to reduce student fees for off-Island field trips from $400 total to $200. The new price will go into effect at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.