Committee OKs more school choice slots for 2012-13
Date: 5/1/2012
May 2, 2012By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — The School Committee approved an increase in the number of school choice slots available for the 2012-13 school year at its April 24 meeting, but not at the level the School Department initially recommended.
Superintendent Dr. Russell Johnston told the committee that, after consulting with the principals of the district's schools, he recommended West Springfield add a total of 29 school choice slots from kindergarten through grade 12 for the next school year.
The committee voted 5-2 to approve 23 slots, with School Committee members Patricia Garbacik and Joey Sutton opposing Budget Sub-committee Chair Nancy Farrell's recommendation that the town not approve three school choice slots each for grades 11 and 12 for next year.
Prior to the vote, Acting Assistant Superintendent Kevin McQuillan gave a brief overview of the history of school choice in West Springfield as part of the committee's required public hearing on the subject.
He said the West Springfield Public Schools accepted its first school choice student during the 2005-06 school year, with the program expanding to 120 students filling spots in kindergarten through grade 12 during the 2011-12 term.
"There's been some coming and going, so the number has been as high as 135 [during this year]," McQuillan said.
Those students come from nine surrounding communities, with the largest number — 84 — coming from Springfield.
He noted that the town's incentive for entering — and continuing — with the school choice program is "the revenue that comes with the program," an average of $5,000 in Chapter 70 state aid per student from the sending district.
Any special education services required by school choice students are also reimbursed. For the 2011-12 school year, McQuillan said the district received $784,735 in revenue from its school choice students.
In 2009, McQuillan said the district used approximately $684,000 of its school choice funds to help balance the school budget. Because of this decision, he said the district must, by law, continue to allocate that same amount of school choice money to the budget annually. He also noted that 12 of the current school choice students were seniors at West Springfield High School, requiring the district to add at least that number of replacement slots for 2012-13 to maintain the department's revenue stream.
McQuillan said the School Department's recommendation to add 29 potential new school choice slots would provide a net increase of 14 revenue-producing students.
"Just because we offer the slots does not mean they are filled," he noted. None of the slots offered would be for grades four, nine or 10, which are required to take the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Farrell said her committee discussed school choice at length, and was concerned about adding six more students at the high school, which this year had 59 school choice students. Because the 12 eighth grade school choice students from the Middle School would be moving up next year, she felt it would be "too much of a burden on the high school" to add more school choice slots.
* * * School Committee Chair, Mayor Gregory Neffinger, had the results of the committee's 2011-12 evaluation of Johnston read into the official record of the April 24 meeting.
The report was read by committee member Kathy Alevras.
Conducted during the March 27 meeting, the evaluation gave Johnston a score of four — or outstanding — in seven areas: relationship with the School Committee; educational leadership; general management skills; budgeting; personnel; communication and public relations and personal qualifications.
