School Committee approves level service department budget for FY 2012

Date: 4/12/2011

April 13, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The School Committee voted to approve a level service budget for fiscal year 2012 (FY12) for the West Springfield School Department at its April 5 meeting.

The committee also voted to approve an increase in the number of School Choice slots made available in the district for the 2011-12 school year.

According to information previously provided to Reminder Publications by Acting Assistant School Superintendent Kevin McQuillan, a level service school budget would cost the town $36.4 million, approximately a $1.6 million increase over fiscal year 2011 spending.

The increase, McQuillan had explained, was not an indication of service expansion, but "a combination of cost increases and the loss of federal grant monies, mostly the stimulus [fund] monies."

School Superintendent Dr. Russell Johnston gave a brief overview of three other budget scenarios requested by Mayor Edward Gibson — a level funded budget, a 5 percent reduction and a 10 percent reduction, all of which included cuts to services and personnel as part of the FY12 public budget hearing preceding the meeting. Five residents, including two students, spoke in favor of a level service budget.

Prior to the vote, School Committee Vice-Chairman Daniel Sullivan reported the Budget Subcommittee had voted 2-0 to recommend a level service school budget.

"Anything less than a level service budget is unacceptable," he said as part of his motion to vote on the issue.

School Committee member Nancy Farrell noted that in voting for the level service budget the committee was not "voting for a $1.6 million increase."

The motion carried by a vote of 6-1.

Gibson, who is both Mayor and School Committee chair, was the only dissenting vote. He called approval of a level service school budget for FY12 "irresponsible to the taxpayers."

He added that rumors coming out of the statehouse indicate "money coming out of the Legislature will be less than the governor's numbers," suggesting West Springfield and other municipalities would be receiving less aid to help balance their budgets than initially anticipated.

McQuillan also outlined the district's proposed increase in School Choice slots for FY12 prior to a brief public hearing and vote on the subject.

He explained that West Springfield had been offering School choice openings to students from surrounding communities since the 2004-05 school year, and the number of students taking advantage of the program had grown from just one that first year to 126 for 2010-11.

He said that, under Chapter 70 aid, the sending district reimburses West Springfield at a rate of $5,000 per student for each School Choice attendee, with more money coming from a sending district if a student requires any special services. Since 2009, McQuillan said $684,155 in School Choice money has been used to balance the general fund portion of the budget, and that the same amount must be applied annually unless an alternative funding source is identified.

McQuillan identified 22 of this year's School Choice students as seniors at West Springfield High School and indicated the district needed to "add at least hat many new slots in 2011/12 in order to maintain our revenue stream."

He said principals at the at the district's nine schools had identified a total of 36 School Choice slots they deemed would be available next fall in grades one, two, six, seven, eight 11 and 12. No students would be accepted for grades four, nine or 10 because of the potential to impact the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores for a school.

Farrell expressed concern about the number of School Choice slots being offered on the elementary school level, and questioned if the committee could vote on slots for just the middle and high school and re-visit the other slots in the future.

McQuillan said if the district did not maintain its revenue stream from School Choice, the loss would "have an impact on the budget beyond the cuts Dr. Johnston outlined" in his earlier presentation. He added that if the committee approved the number of School Choice slots that evening, it could adjust the number at a future meeting.

School Committee Member Kathy Alevras said she was opposed to any School Choice slots.

"In the past seven years I have voted against School Choice," she said. "I know it is a good revenue stream, but we don't know the background of these students — I'm a proponent of community schools."

Farrell proposed the committee vote to allow a total of 26 School Choice slots be added for the 2011-12 school year. The motion passed by a vote of 4-3 in favor.