At last, "Big-ticket schools prompt a scolding"

State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill complained yesterday that some Massachusetts communities are embarking on excessive, McMansion school construction projects that neither the towns nor the state can afford.

With taxpayer outrage already evident over Newton's proposed $197.5 million high school, Cahill expressed concern about a project in neighboring Wellesley, which is planning a $159 million school.

"I'm a big believer in local control, but if no one is going to control it at the local level, that's what we're here for," Cahill said in an interview. "There is no blank check for this school or any that would come after it."

Cahill called on local communities and their school committees to keep the cost of projects reasonable or risk losing millions of dollars in reimbursements from the state School Building Authority, which he chairs. The authority pays 40 percent to 80 percent of eligible expenses of a project, depending on the wealth of the town and other factors.

"We'll give you a gymnasium, we'll give you an auditorium, but we will not give you a fine arts academy. We will not give you a sports academy," he said. "Just because a community wants it doesn't mean they're going to get the money."