School Committee votes to fund current education level

Date: 4/17/2012

April 18, 2012

By Debbie Gardner

debbieg@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Again this year, the School Committee voted to recommend the Town Council approve a $38.2 million level service budget for the School Department for fiscal year 2013 (FY13).

The committee made a similar move for FY12, recommending a $36.4 million School Department budget, which was later revised to $36.7 million.

The Town Council reduced the FY12 School Department budget by $786,459 — which then resulted in a cut in supply, travel and professional development expenses, as well as the elimination of police details, custodians, administrators and 6.5 teaching positions — during the final approval process.

The 5-1 vote, which took place on April 9 following a continuation of the public hearing on the proposed school budget, saw Mayor and School Committee Chairman Gregory Neffinger as the only member in opposition.

Neffinger explained it was customary for the mayor to oppose the funding of any level service budget during the initial phase of the town's budget recommendations.

"If you see me not voting for a level service [School Department] budget, it's not that I'm against education, it's just that, as mayor, I have other options," Neffinger told the small audience that had gathered in the municipal auditorium for the public budget hearing.

School Superintendent Dr. Russell Johnston explained that this budget cycle's $2.2 million increase over the FY12 school budget — which will be necessary to provide a similar level of services for FY13 — reflects increases in tuitions to the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative for vocational students, transportation costs for homeless students, special education cost increases and an increase in wages and other expenses. It also reflects a loss of more than $797,000 in federal Education Jobs funding and Title 1 carryover money.

He said the School Department had reserved $75,000 of the district's School Choice funds as a one-time buffer to help offset the cost increase for FY 13.

"Next year we won't have [the School Choice money] and we'll need help from the town to keep the wind in our sails, or to let it out slowly so unemployment costs don't gouge the budget," Johnston warned.

In voting to recommend the level service budget to the full committee, Budget Subcommittee Chair Nancy Farrell said her committee was "very concerned" by the cuts he School Department had to make under its FY12 budget.

"Even with a level service budget, we feel we are behind because of what we lost last year," Farrell said.

Earlier in the meeting, Neffinger addressed the same concern.

"Education is very important and we will find ways to keep it up as best as we can," he said.

He had also noted there were "more ways to fund the school budget than taxes."