Sen. Bruce Tarr says he no longer believes Gov. Deval Patrick and the legislative leadership are "inclined" to restore education funding to pre-recession levels in Gloucester and 150 other short-changed communities.

Tarr made the observations in an exchange of e-mail messages with City Councilor Bruce Tobey about the need to mobilize a grassroots campaign behind a plan by Gloucester's legislators to add $31 million of school aid for communities such as Gloucester to Patrick's supplementary state budget.

Tobey, vice president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said he would attempt to bring the league of cities and towns behind the effort - a step both elected officials deemed essential to light the fire under Patrick and legislative leaders.

In March, Patrick came to Gloucester to observe that the history of underfunding Gloucester's schools demonstrated that the school aid policy is "broken."

The e-mails began in the aftermath of discouraging signals sent by legislators and a Patrick representative at an "education funding summit" here on Oct. 22.

Local participants in that meeting pushed for the state to hold Gloucester harmless by restoring education aid to 2002-2003 levels. State education aid to Gloucester peaked at $6.55 million in the 2001-02 school year and levelled off for a year. But in 2003-04, the commonwealth cut education aid across the state after recession reduced tax revenues.

But the meeting left participants angry that the Senate and House chairmen of the Joint Education Committee and gubernatorial aide Michelle Norman offered little hope of equity in the near future for Gloucester and other affected communities.

Jonathan Pope, the retiring chairman of the School Committee, sat on stage with the legislators at the meeting but said later he wished he had been in the audience to question them.

"I was a little embarrassed to be up there," Pope said. "It's a system that's completely broken. It's based on incorrect premises, and they seem to keep trying to tinker with it when it should be just thrown out the window."

Christopher Farmer, the superintendent of schools, told the School Committee on Oct. 24 that he was extremely disappointed with the visit.

Tobey, along with Councilors Jason Grow and Sefatia Romeo, reacted with frustration to a "thank you for participating" message from Tarr and the office of state Rep. Anthony Verga, D-Gloucester, which affirmed that the local lawmakers were working to move forward with a "study of the adequacy of Chapter 70 (education) funding."

"Here's a news flash," wrote Tobey in response. "The results ... are already in. Chapter 70 funding is inadequate. And here's a bonus finding - it's inequitable, too."

"To have walked away from that event with anything other than a paralyzing sense of futility and despair requires a nearly toxic level of denial," wrote Grow. "We heard it loud and clear - there is no will to reform the formula."

Romeo wrote that she left the meeting with "no sense of hope."

On Oct. 29, Tobey again wrote to Tarr, this time also sending copies to members of the council, Mayor John Bell and the Times, with a reminder that in June, Tarr had asked for help laying the groundwork for an initiative to restore funding to "high-water funding levels."

"The initiative, worth $614,000 to Gloucester, came with the relatively modest price tag of $31 million and hurt no other community," wrote Tobey.

He added that he did his part, reaching out to many municipal officials, legislators and even Patrick, and asked, "So what is the status of the senator's initiative of which I have never heard another word?"

The next day Tarr sent Tobey an update.

In it, Tarr said he was ready to conclude that no amount of prodding would persuade Patrick to include in the supplemental budget the $31 million make-good funding for the 151 communities still struggling with pre-recession school aid levels.

"Given the fact that it is now November, it appears he is not inclined to seek this form of assistance despite our efforts," Tarr wrote. "Since the governor is not so inclined, and I agree that immediate action is needed to bring relief in the near term, perhaps we should shift our efforts."

Since the legislative leadership is also "not inclined to change the current situation," Tarr suggested that Tobey organize his municipal connections to create "a team effort to initiate a legislative plan."

By yesterday, the senator and the councilor seem to have agreed on a plan.

Tarr will prepare a $31 million amendment to the supplemental budget Patrick is preparing to submit, and Tobey will organize a "Chapter 70 caucus" of officials from communities that like Gloucester are still short of the peak pre-recession funding.

"The Legislature will play a big role, and the local government officials will play a role," Tobey said in an interview.

Tarr's office said he was in the chamber most of the day and unavailable.