School's budget is now in line with town's
Published on April 14th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - They all but jumped through hoops to get there, but School Committee members finally managed to approve a nearly fully-funded budget for the next academic year which includes the added bonus of a partially-funded school bus service program.
Draft six of the School Department's FY2000 budget won approval at the committee's joint meeting with the selectmen on Thursday night after months of great effort on the part of administrators and staff, under the direction of School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly.
The budget number as approved stands at $17,575,000, which reflects the figure that Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting has been proposing from the beginning of discussions.
Town Meeting will vote on this number as part of the town-wide budget on May 3.
Going into Thursday's meeting, Connelly advised that the most recent budget estimate, a 4.8 percent increase over the current year's budget, was still nearly $95,000 apart from Nutting's proposal. This difference was expected to be brought down by another $40,000 through estimated savings in health insurance contract renegotiations.
Following Connelly's suggestion, the committee voted in favor of underfunding the health insurance line item in order to bring the budget figure in line with Nutting's. While no definite answer on the potential $40,000 health insurance savings would be known until later this week, Connelly suggested that the committee take this action rather than wait anther week for that information.
"Let's take small steps and keep moving rather than delay till next week," he suggested.
Gucciardi then brought up the busing issue, for which no funds had been allocated in earlier budget drafts.
"Last year, I was one of four members who...voted to eliminate busing...because the trade-offs were unacceptable. This year, I've taken the position that I would never consider bringing (busing) back if it interfered with (educational) programs. I'm sticking with that," he stated.
However, his outlook on the busing problem has wavered somewhat, he said, in light of expressed concern as to the need for busing over the next few years - a concern he had not previously considered.
According to Gucciardi, during the next four to five years, the town will continue with the elementary school rebuilding program which commenced just recently. Following the rebuilding of South and Central schools, the Robin Hood and Colonial Park schools will undergo renovation.
With the old Central School scheduled to function as interim space for the two renovation projects, Gucciardi stated that the commute for these out-of-district students will be great, in many cases involving a Main Street crossing. Busing of students at that time will have to be addressed due to what some consider to be an even more critical safety issue than presently exists.
"What are we going to do when Robin Hood and Colonial Park (students) go to Central? We'll have to do something then, but I can not favor one group of kids over another... There is no reason why we should consider treating those kids any better or worse than kids today," he said. "We need to implement a (busing) program for the next four to five years."
"I think we have an obligation in the next four to five years... because of the displacement of the kids," agreed Connelly.
With that, he offered what has recently developed as a source of funding a partial school bus program.
As of the April 1 review of the current fiscal year budget, "something in excess of $100,000 we think will be unspent," said Connelly.
This money, he said, comes from savings in heating costs during what has been a milder than expected winter, as well as from the reallocation of some special education grants. He emphasized that this unexpended money has not been generated from the schools' lack of spending for needed materials.
"No one lost what they needed," he said. He recommended returning this money to the town's general fund.
If the committee voted in favor of busing by underfunding the health insurance line item again, this time by $60,000, or the cost of partially funding school bus service, money would then be available in the reserve fund to address the health insurance shortage at October's Special Town Meeting.
Gucciardi favored this suggestion since he has professed the importance of having the educational programs intact by the opening of school. Committee members agreed that if busing was to be provided, this too should be in place at that time.
While full funding of the service would involve a prohibitive $150,000 price tag, the Busing Committee (formed last fall to research the busing issue) had also proposed the alternative of partial funding of bus service, with the school and parents sharing the cost. Gucciardi stated that, according to the Busing Committee's findings, a cost to the school system for this service would be approximately $60,000.
"This is a very, very real approach," stated Connelly.
The School Committee stated it would invite the Busing Committee to its April 15 meeting in order to solicit its input with regard to determining a user fee and implementation of the program.
"We will go into Town Meeting supporting the same number as the town administrator has proposed... That will leave us short in meeting health insurance needs but we intend to make that up in the fall and still have met all the educational needs," summed up Connelly.
Though the picture looked grim at the start of this year for producing a budget that would satisfy both the school and the town, the tireless efforts of administrators, committee members and Connelly himself won out. Six drafts of the FY2000 budget finally produced agreement on that figure, and also served to address of the town's predominant safety issue.
"The School Committee has said yes to busing for the next four years," summed up Connelly.
All votes of the School Committee were unanimous. The meeting also served as the inaugural session for new committee member Mary Pecoraro, who won her bid for a three-year term to the School Committee in last week's election.
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