PRESENT: Subcommittee members: Ed Zuchowski, Stephanie Pick and Howard Moore; Staff: Interim Superintendent William Erickson, Business Manager Susan Wright, Secretary Jennifer Towler.
SUMMARY: The agenda consisted of:
1) FY12 Budget Update and Discussion, 2) Transportation, and 3) Audit of NHS parking fee. In the
budget discussion, Susan Wright explained that we would have a
$1.4 million deficit if we were to fund the same services next year as we have this year. There was some discussion about specific budget items and dates by which we can expect to know more about certain funds. Also some discussion about the process administrators and school committee could use to arrive at their decisions. The
transportation discussion centered on a proposal (approved) to
reduce the elementary school bus fee from $300 per year to $225 and eliminate 2 of the 11 buses in order to increase capacity and reduce traffic. The
audit was the best NPS has had, but the school committee should
tighten up how NHS parking fees are collected and spent.
I FY12 BUDGET UPDATE AND DISCUSSION
SW presented the first draft of the FY12 level service budget. Level service means all staff and programs currently in NPS today. It is a calculation of what it would cost next year to keep everything we have today. To provide the same level of service will require $1.4 million more next year than it does this year, hence the deficit, requiring NPS to either cut programs and services, raise more revenue, or some of both in order to achieve a balanced budget for next year.
- budget deficit in part due to loss of federal stimulus funds that NPS has received for the past two years
- includes 185 school days for teachers and ESPs (no furloughs as in FY10)
- includes STEP raises for all eligible staff at a total of $324,515
- does not include raises for non-union employees (about 25 people who have not had raises in 3 years)
- includes an increase in out-of-district special ed. spending of $232,269 (this is to cover private school tuition for those special ed. students whose educational needs cannot be met by NPS)
- assumes circuit breaker revenue increasing to 60% from its current 40% reimbursement rate (this is money the state reimburses school districts for its expenses on out-of-district special ed placements after a certain amount has been spent- used to be 75% reimbursement, now is 40% and we're hoping for 60%)
- includes known lane changes for teachers (when a teacher advances from a B.A. to an M.A. or M.A. plus and salary is increased accordingly)
- includes known retirements: savings of $140,184 at this time
- uses lowest estimate of school choice for FY11: now estimated down by $66,929; better number will be available in April
- assumes level funding from the city appropriations, plus Chapter 70 increase equivalent to state funds of $36,541: not certain, however
- assumes NPS will use $301,852 in reserves, leaving a $100,000 reserve
- assumes transportation savings by reducing buses to 9 from current 11 (see discussion below)
- includes 3 students enrolled in Greenfield "Virtual School"
- assumes a new superintendent salary of $130,000 (see discussion below)
- no copier budget yet; savings may be seen here
- does not use circuit breaker reserves, as they are at $170,000 and SW recommends keeping at least that in reserve for unforeseen special ed expenses
- includes an increase in 3 part-time elementary school secretary hours from 4 to 6 hours per day (Jackson Street is only one with the 6-hr. position as it was once the largest elementary school; now that it is not and Leeds is, recommends at least increasing Leeds position).
- supply budgets should be adjusted to a per pupil rather than per school basis; Leeds probably to be increased, others decreased based on this: Mark Prince to give input
- no utility budget adjustment yet - more info. needed first from Central Services
- assumes same level funding for substitutes
- assumes 4 full time PE teachers at JFK, as Ms. Carlson ends one-year agreement at half-time and resumes full-time PE position
- funds academic dean position at NHS: at this time, a teacher does this 1/3 time funded by JobsEd while teaching 2/3 time. If this position is cut, that teacher will resume full-time teaching and the 1/3 teaching position will be cut elsewhere
- budgets $25,000 for high school accreditation process (done every 10 years). SW will get specific info. from NHS Principal Nancy Athas on this, but WE said some of it goes toward lodging and food required for the auditors who are teachers from other parts of the state who come and stay here for three days to conduct the audit
- includes increases in several SPED accounts: evaluations, $10,000; therapy, $20,000 and mainstream services, $20,000. SW didn't know what mainstream services were but will ask Sped director Nathan Ziegler; therapy is costly in part due to using independent contractors instead of employees for speech, occupational and physical therapy
- technology budget currently level funded, no word from tech. director Bill Dornbusch yet on any changes
- used $80,000 in remaining JobsEd grant to fund salaries in FY12
DISCUSSION
There was some
discussion about the process this year. In the past, principals would be asked to come up with priorities and recommend cuts accordingly. Is there a different approach possible or desirable? With WE and Mark Prince, there are two new sets of eyes looking at the budget. WE said all administrators feel very much a part of the process and want to provide essential special ed services but are looking for where they can be more efficient. EZ said it seemed there may be a
duplication of sped staff across the schools and welcomed an examination of how those services are delivered for better efficiency. WE offered as an example that the
one-on-one ESPs might be able to also help other children at different times of the day. Some questions about
JFK's greater number of sped staff (3 times more than at other schools) was explained as integral to the team system with one sped teacher per team. Also said the
four elementary schools should see themselves as part of one system, not as individual systems. EZ said he felt there was that sense of unity among them at the district wide school council meeting. SW said more specific figures for
school choice and out-of-district sped placements would be available in April. The draft budget includes
lane changes (required) and
STEP increases (not required but NPS chooses to) and does not include
cost of living increases (a collective bargaining point). HM raised a question about
opening up the preschool program so that it was at each school again. Would this bring more revenue as tuition-paying families may use it under those circumstances? Also good for kids to go to pre-school where they'll ultimately attend school. SW questioned cost of staffing 4 preschools vs. 1 but said it was best to hear from Nathan Ziegler and Barbara Black on the pros and cons of doing this. There was some
concern about budgeting only $100,000 in reserves for next year, with SP preferring $250,000. Her concern is having to make mid-year cuts in services if the reserve runs out. SW said she thinks there will be another $100,000 left to add to that for a total of $200,000 in reserves. EZ said he was all right with leaving it as is.
SUPERINTENDENT SALARY
WE gathered information statewide on superintendent salaries and benefits. Of the 39 districts that reported from
Western Mass., the mean salary was $128,000 (NPS' previous superintendent earned $116,000).
WE recommended posting the position at a range of $122-130,000 to give flexibility. How much a given candidate is offered in that range will depend on his/her experience and other qualities. WE also
examined statewide salaries for school department central office positions. Central administrators generally earn in the 80,000 and 90,000 ranges. He may recommend salary changes of central office staff during his interim superintendency based on some of the research he has done.
II TRANSPORTATION
SW reported that more than 100 families stopped using the elementary buses two years ago when the school committee voted to increase the fees to $300 per year. In the past, the number of buses NPS contracted for its 3-tier system (one set of buses going to all schools) was determined by the elementary school population as the largest group of riders. This has changed and JFK is now the largest group of riders, filling 9 buses.
Goals: reduce traffic at schools and increase capacity on existing buses. To accomplish these goals, SW
proposes reducing the elementary bus fee to $225 and eliminating two of the 11 buses NPS now uses by: 1) not sharing transportation with Smith Vocational school, and 2) reducing Leeds routes from 5 to 4 and Ryan Road routes from 3 to 2, as there are many empty seats on some of those buses. SW said that even though NPS would lose $75 per rider by reducing the fee, others will come back to help offset that and
NPS will save $46,000 by eliminating two buses. SW said the merged routes at Leeds and Ryan Rd. will be the shorter ones so that students don't have excessively long rides.
III NHS PARKING FEE (within overall NPS audit)
An audit conducted of NPS in '09 recommended tightening up the way in which the high school parking fee is handled. Currently, the school charges students for parking passes and those funds are deposited in a student activity account for use by the senior class. The
auditor recommended the school committee officially approve charging the parking fee and that the monies be deposited in a revolving fund to pay for the maintenance of the high school parking lot. The school committee could approve the collection of the fee but also still approve its use by the senior class. There was a consensus to keep the fee but hear from the NHS principal and vice-principal as to its use.
Barbara Considine
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SchoolsWatch
