Town Administrator Richard LaCamera wants to know why the Old Rochester Regional school district isn’t repaying its debt to the town despite having a $1 million surplus.

During Monday night’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen, LaCamera said the 2013 budget will be hard on Rochester, adding that the town will have to match the current year’s budget to maintain jobs and services.

LaCamera said he is concerned with money owed to Rochester from the Old Rochester Regional surplus fund which has accumulated over the last three years from $579,000 to $1,000,793.

The Old Rochester Regional budget is divided among the towns in the district, with Rochester paying for 36 percent of the overall budget.

LaCamera said that of the $1 million surplus funds, the Old Rochester Regional School district budget is $160,000 over the amount they are allotted to keep, and that this amount should be dispersed among the towns.

“It’s very unusual because they say they don’t have enough for their budget,” LaCamera said. “I’d like to understand why there is so much money.”

Rochester’s share of the surplus should be $56,000, LaCamera said. The surplus, he said, is in the district’s E & D fund, excess money saved throughout the year.

LaCamera has drafted a letter to the Department of Revenue, Superintendent Doug White, the Old Rochester Regional School Committee and the Rochester Finance Committee to determine why the school district has not given Rochester its share of the surplus.

“We need to find out what the [surplus funds] are used for,” he said.

Selectman Naida Parker said she was also concerned.

“It’s disturbing that we’ve had 2 or 3 really tight fiscal years, having to keep everything level funded so we don’t have to lay people off and the district is sitting on all of this money,” Parker said.

LaCamera said he has asked all of the Rochester boards and committees to maintain a level funded budget, which would require that all 2013 budget remain the same as in 2012.

“This year is going to be the most challenging year the town is going to experience in my five years here,” LaCamera said. “We need to know why there is such a high surplus so we will know its affect on the 2013 budget. We need to understand all of the expenses.”

LaCamera has asked to review the reports of the Old Rochester Regional surplus with the town’s Finance Committee and will make his report to the Board of Selectmen during their next meeting Jan. 23.