School budget debate begins
Published on January 9th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - The School Department will unveil its draft one fiscal 2003 budget at the Jan. 10 School Committee meeting.
“Draft one is not a wish list, but a baseline to maintain the existing level of services,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Connelly. “If we get less, we’ll have to cut staff.”
Connelly did not want to quote any figures before releasing the budget, but the fiscal 2002 budget was $20 million, and Finance Board Chairman Richard Gregorio has estimated a five percent increase.
Enrollment will necessitate two additional secondary school positions, probably broken down into fractional assignments, e.g. a 0.4 language arts teacher, etc. Contractual salary increases are a constant but predictable source of budget growth. And in the end, classes can be cut and teachers laid off.
But many other cost factors are harder to predict and control:
Health insurance costs sometimes remain stable from one year to the next and other years jump dramatically. The schools must provide health insurance to employees.
Utilities rates have also jumped all over the place.
Special education costs change from year to year depending on the needs of the student population.
Transportation costs change as enrollment increases or even shifts between schools. Stoneham will need four buses instead of three for the next school year, Connelly said.
When a teacher retires, the schools must pay his pension and hire a new teacher to cover the classes. The schools know how many teachers are eligible for retirement each year, but the exact number who will retire each year adds another wild card to the deck.
An even more concrete example are the new buildings. The new elementary schools must have elevators under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The maintenance contract for these elevators, also mandated by law, costs around $8,000 per year. The new HVAC systems in the buildings also have a maintenance contract of around $8,000.
To keep down the costs that can be controlled, Connelly demanded that his staff prepare a meticulously specific budget.
“Our costs for supplies in English aren’t a per pupil estimate,” Connelly said as he flipped to a tab in the four inch thick budget binder. “We have the actual number of pencils and boxes of staples for each class.”
Connelly said he understands Stoneham will have trouble funding all town departments until Chapter 70 aid is increased. But he plans to lobby hard to get the funds to keep the Stoneham schools running full speed ahead.
Citizens at the May 6, 2002, town Meeting will have the final word. The public discussion begins this Thursday night.
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