PHOTOS: Looking At Westford's Schools In Fiscal Year 2013

There is still plenty of time and plenty of factors may still change, but the School Committee is going into the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year with a planned bottom line brought forth by Superintendent Bill Olsen on Monday night.

The figure Olsen believes the School Committee should request from voters next spring, $47,741,283, marks a 3.18 percent increase from last year's appropriated general funds, an increase that comes in large part from increasing fuel costs, looming new expenditures and the end of state and federal assistance in several areas.

School Committee member David Keele made a motion that the board support the preliminary bottom line unless circumstances change or additional information is brought forward to require a new number.

Keele's move, which was approved unanimously, was put forward on his opinion that Olsen's presentation was sound that that "locking in" the expected school budget would help other town departments with their deliberations over the next few months.