ATTLEBORO -- School officials are lobbying for some of the nearly $628,000 in additional state aid that the mayor aims to use for repayment of money that the city borrowed from its pension fund to make ends meet this year.

Superintendent Joel Lovering said this week that schools would welcome a piece of the new state money that is coming to the city as a part of a supplemental budget recently approved by Gov. Mitt Romney.

`` I'm not sure how it's distributed, but we're looking for anything and everything we can get,'' Lovering said.

School board Chairman Rick Correia told the committee that he formally asked City Council President Barry LaCasse to funnel some of the cash to schools.

But in a letter, LaCasse replied that only the mayor can allocate the money. He added, however, that the council recommended during June budget talks that any additional state aid should be used to pay down the $860,000 pension loan. Mayor Kevin Dumas has said that is what he intends to do.