DANVERS - State Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry included a provision in the Legislature's supplemental budget that would allow Danvers' school project to go forward without delay.
Gov. Mitt Romney, who has the power to veto line items, will take action on the supplemental budget today. He is expected to make an announcement at 2 p.m.
The state Department of Education last month placed a moratorium on new applications for reimbursement of school construction. The moratorium is in effect until the start of the new fiscal year, July 1, effectively adding 12 months to projects now under design.
Berry, D-Peabody, proposes having the moratorium take effect July 1, offering a window of opportunity for Danvers, Swampscott, Manchester-by-the-Sea and other communities around the state seeking to build new schools.
Danvers school officials lobbied this week for Romney to leave the door open for them.
"It's very important that he sign that," School Committee member John Paskowski said of Berry's provision, which would benefit more than two dozen districts. "At this point, there's no indication it's moving forward.
Paskowski made his comments at Monday's committee meeting. He gave the phone number to Romney's office and asked people to call in their support for the provision.
The governor's office received a "high number of calls" yesterday about the school building assistance program, which is addressed in the Legislature's budget, press secretary Shawn Feddeman said.
One the line in Danvers is a $36 million middle school renovation. Plans for the project have not yet been approved for state reimbursement.
The moratorium was intended to buy time in a budget crisis, and Berry said shifting the date is all he can do.
"There's a lot of money involved here. There are no guarantees if you get on the list that you'll get funded," he said.
The economy could turn around by the time the state payments are supposed to start, which is seven years after communities begin short-term borrowing, said state Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers.
Danvers Town Meeting will decide this month whether to support a tax increase to pay for the middle school debt.
School Committee Chairman Eric Crane said he's not worried that questions about state reimbursement will hurt the issue. The Town Meeting warrant article will read that the debt exclusion override will not be valid unless the state commits to reimbursing a portion of the cost, he said. The warrant doesn't name a specific rate of reimbursement.