Schools prepare for 2001…
Published on December 6th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - Superintendent of Schools Joe Connelly warned the School Committee that the fiscal 2002 budget could jump nine percent.
"Uncontrollable costs of heat and utilities and health insurance are responsible," Connelly said.
The new schools, South and Central — scheduled to go online in the fall of 2001 — use gas, which is quiet and effective but expensive. Also, the new schools are larger than the old buildings with more technology, so electricity bills will rise.
As for health insurance costs, towns across the state are facing a budget crunch as insurance rates soar.
"Some estimates say costs could increase 20 percent," Connelly said.
Connelly clarified that the budget has not yet been developed. The administration and School Committee will take a closer look at dollars and cents after meeting with the Finance Board this week.
In other school news:
oThe School Department is looking for a Colonial Park Principal for fall 2001 onward.
The salary range will be $70,000 to $80,000. The position will not affect the budget because the Assistant Principal position at the Central School will be phased out. Four administrators run the elementary schools now, and this will continue. The shift makes sense because Central currently houses 600 students as the building project progresses, but when the new schools are built, each building will hold between 240 and 350 pupils.
The Superintendent plans to appoint a search committee on Dec. 14, post the position in the major papers and trade publications by Jan. 7, accept resumes until Feb., and hire a candidate by the end of March.
"This will allow us to have someone in place by August," Connelly said.
The search committee will select the initial pool of candidates. Connelly and Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Keroack will then choose semi-finalists. And then the School Committee will make the final hire. The Superintendent in theory could veto the choice, but that’s not how Connelly operates. Although, he did reserve the right to shut down the process and start over if he finds no candidates satisfactory.
oAn administrator will be hired to oversee outreach efforts and organization of the Stoneham pre-school program next year.
The program is growing, and the position will be funded out of revenue generated by the pre-school program. The town must provide free pre-school for special education students per state law. The expanded pre-school program charges mainstream students tuition; this money pays for the program and generates additional revenue, which goes into a revolving account.
Connelly said that the newly created position will receive a stipend of $4,000 to $6,000 for the work. Thus, no new health insurance coverage will be required. Also, Connelly promised that if the program doesn’t fund the position, the school will cut it and struggle to get the job done before burdening the already tight budget.
oThe Stoneham Schools are a member of the S.E.E.M. Collaborative, a group of surrounding community school systems which help provide special education services to students whose needs cannot be met in the programs in place in their home districts.
At the Nov. 30 School Committee meeting, the committee voted to join the Merrimac Education Center Collaborative, a similar group of school systems to the North, in addition to S.E.E.M.
Joining costs nothing extra and allows the Stoneham school system access to a wider range of special education programs as well as other cooperative endeavors such as professional development courses for teachers.
oTeaching assistants at South School have taken on the responsibility of refereeing the morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up in the South School parking lot.
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