School Committee Chair Beth Stafford took the opportunity at the Wednesday, Feb. 28 meeting to make clear that the Committee has not had anything to do with an override question.
“I want people to know – the public to know – that the School Committee has not had anything to do with that request, nor have we approved that, because we haven’t even given our assessments yet,” she said. “The figures that [Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak] had given before were based on just broad numbers that they had.”
She said anyone familiar with the budget process knows the School Committee goes through a lot of steps, looking at data pertaining to enrollment, class size and more – and that work is not yet complete.
“We haven’t done our assessment, so it’s very difficult for us when we look at the comments that people are making,” Stafford said. “We’re not done and I want the public to know that.”
She added that a lot of the Committee members are “kind of leery about a ‘school’ override” because it would not be a long-term solution to the budget problems they face.
After the first year, funds gained from an override go into the general fund, with no guarantee of being earmarked for school budgets.
“So, I want to just caution everybody that we have had no conversation with either town about an override,” she said. “It has not happened yet and we’re still looking – there’s a lot of factors that impact the assessment, but not services to the students of the district. We do not want to impact the services the students already have and the services we were able to get though ESSER that have shown the positive impact it has had on the students and the W-H Regional School District.”
Stafford also noted references on Facebook of a sarcastic nature about the Committee wanting what is best for students.
“Well, all 10 members of this committee and the administration try every day to do what is best for the students, and I can speak for everybody on this committee,” she said. “We don’t do things willy-nilly. Everything is [done] with great thought and, hopefully, with cooperation and coordination with the two towns.”
Stafford also stressed that, if the committee had to have more conversations with the towns, they will.
Szymaniak said he was invited to a Whitman department head meeting before the February break.
“It was a very good meeting,” he said.
At that meeting, Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter shared figures surrounding a 5-percent assessment increase from the school district and it, “seems that Whitman still has some issues around their budget,” he said.
“Being transparent, I will ask Mary Beth if I can share that budget with you folks,” he said. “It was just given to the department heads, so I don’t want to overstep. I also received a budget from Hanson.”
Town Administrator Lisa Green did include the 5-percent overall increase of the budget, and he said he will ask her the same [question] to see what both budgets look like as the School Committee moves forward for its next meeting.
“To be level-service we need a 5-percent increase of our overall budget,” he said. “Then I gave you a 4-percent increase, a 3-percent increase and a 2-percent increase. That 2 percent takes into account pretty much what both towns had earmarked for us without substantial change to their own budgets. I will sit here as superintendent and say I don’t know who can survive with a 2-percent increase of their budget.”
He said such a budget would have “significant impact” on staffing and service delivery to students.
Szymaniak said a 5-percent increase is needed for level service, but he does have some potential flexibility if the committee opts against replacing people who retire. But that would affect classes at the high school where most of the retirements – five – are planned, at a savings of about $300,000 and excess and deficiency has not been discussed yet, either. Szymaniak also said he has not yet committed extra circuit breaker money.
“We went through this budget already and curtailed everything, or trimmed everything as far as non-people,” he said. “There’s no more flexibility there. … We haven’t issued an assessment yet but the assessment I’ve provided for really right now is a 2-percent increase of the overall budget.”
At that level the personnel cuts would be significant. Class size increases are also being considered.
The state is not adding funding, he said and the funds from the communities are not enough to meet the needs of the schools.
State aid
State Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida, R-Abington, and state Sen. Mike Brady D-Brockton, provided a legislative update to the committee during the meeting.
Szymaniak had written to Brady on behalf of the committee following its last meeting about the unfunded and under-funded mandates school districts must live by.
“Being the regional school district that we are, we rely on the state pretty heavily and when that under-funded mandate comes in more under-funded that we anticipate, it directly affects service,” he said. “I would just ask on behalf of myself and the committee, that we fully fund those mandates, and that changes the whole dynamic of how I plan a budget and what happens to the taxpayers in both towns.”
His areas of concern include transportation, circuit-breaker and special education as he asked that the under-funded sections of the budget be as level, as they have been in the past. Last year, the district over-estimated transportation reimbursement, and when it came in lower than expected it led to the removal of some staff prior to the beginning of the school year.
Small thanked Sen. Brady for attending the meeting, expressing his appreciation for seeing Brady and knowing his concerns.
“I know the hard position that you folks are in where the state made certain projections and anticipation of revenue,” he said, stressing that he was speaking for himself. “Those aren’t being hit. As a matter of fact, they’ve adjusted them and the adjustments aren’t being hit.”
He said at the same tine, the district is charged with educating children.
“Our towns have a finite amount of money that you can raise with Proposition 2 ½, so their hands are somewhat tied,” Small said. “It’s my opinion … that one department should not be taking away from another.”
Small said that, while Select Boards are still expected to bring a balanced budget before Town Meeting, but noted the assessment is up to 5 percent in their budget.
“It’s very difficult,” he said. “I would ask you to fight for every penny you can get for us. It would just go so far. I know you’ll do your best, and that’s all any of us can expect at this time.”
Brady said he and Sullivan-Almeida have a great working relationship, noting the school district communities also lost another representative, Josh Cutler, who has joined the Healey-Driscoll administration, leaving that seat open until the end of the year.
“Anything we can do, we’re both going to advocate for [it],” Brady said. “I know sometimes these regional schools do get short-changed, especially with regional transportation.”
He said they would be happy to support amendments to the state budget, but cautioned that the legislature has to fully fund what’s recommended in the Chapter 70 money and the student opportunity Fair Share Amendment.
“The unfortunate thing on the state level is the last four months, revenue has been down.” he said. “You’re not going to get anything less, because that’s committed at the state level.”
Sullivan-Almeida said Rep. David DeCoste, R-Norwell, who represents a portion of Hanson had a personal appointment and was not able to attend the meeting.
She said that special education, which is always a “big-budget item” on the W-H budget that they are required by law to address, and stressed all the district’s legislators support fully funding budget mandates from the state.
“Unfunded or under-funded mandates [are] not fair to the towns and we fully understand that,” she said, noting that their position on legislation depends on where the funding is coming from, but added they are always keeping a close eye on that.
“I’m almost hard-pressed to guarantee you a certain amount of money that you’re going to get right now, because it is scary,” she said. “Revenue has been down from the projected numbers. They’ve even had to go back in and re-project those numbers, and it’s even down from there.”
She said the scary part is, those revenue numbers could go down again from what is being projected now.
“I don’t want to give you false hope in any way, shape or form,” she said, noting if she had to choose between funding a small project in a town and ensuring the mandates are funded, Sullivan-Almeida said she would rather see that the mandates are funded to ensure students are not left behind.
Scriven asked for some examples of how education is funded.
Sullivan-Almeida, who sits on House Ways & Means, said that committee is currently on a listening tour of the state. Brady serves on the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
“We definitely have a different perspective on how the budget process goes,” Sullivan-Almeida said, noting the chairs of each committee follows a lengthy process, including hearing from each state department and executive office what their “asks” are. “In amongst the listening tour, we always advocate for local aid, we advocate for the increasable bleed with Chapter 70, Chapter 90 – funding that really impacts our local communities.”
That includes funding for regional transportation and special education, she said.
She said they also encourage boards, committees, residents and even students to reach out to advocate for their education needs.
“We’re going to advocate on your behalf,” Brady added, “But the more, the merrier – the old cliché, there is strength in numbers.”
“And the squeaky wheel always gets the oil,” Sullivan-Almeida said, adding that both she and Brady make an effort to share information on grant availability with the district.
Where ESSER funds are concerned Sullivan-Almeida said they have a solid working relationship with the federal legislative delegation, but Brady said inaction in Congress is delaying any work in that area right now.
“I think ESSER funds were great,” Small said. “But the job’s not done and I think that’s the scary part. Our budget’s in trouble, and part of it is we did what was needed, being fully cognizent of the end date, but now with it’s ending how do you deal with it?”