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| By Katelyn Gendron Reminder Assistant Editor WEST SPRINGFIELD At last week's School Committee meeting, School Department officials requested a 6.8 percent increase from their $34.1 million fiscal year 2008 (FY08) budget. Officials cited increasing operational costs and contract settlements, as well as the need to replace outdated equipment and repair dilapidated facilities, as their reasoning for the funding increase. At the request of Mayor Edward Gibson, Dr. Suzanne Marotta, superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools, presented the committee with two additional budget scenarios including a level funded budget and a level funded budget plus contractual increases, totaling a 3.44 percent over FY08. "A level funded budget would be detrimental to the School Department," Carey Sheehan, West Springfield Public Schools business manager, said, adding that this budget would require cuts and possible layoffs of existing services totaling over $1 million. Sheehan explained that prior to presenting the $36.4 million budget an increase of 6.8 percent over FY08 to the School Committee, School Department officials had already cut approximately $319,000 from requested line items. However, Daniel Sullivan, vice chair of the School Committee and Gibson, also chair of the School Committee, agreed that those cuts may not be enough. Sullivan explained that fixed costs such as teaching salaries, special education, transportation and utilities have increased rapidly, liquidating any surplus funding. "With the tough fiscal times you'd like to see the level funded [budget] plus the salary [contractual] increases [approved]," Sullivan said. "To me, I think the best of the worst case [scenario] is the 3.44 [percent increased budget totaling $35.2 million]." He added that the approval of a 6.8 percent increase in the school budget is unlikely. "Right now I'd be very happy getting to level funded plus contractual [increases]," Gibson said. "Anything that we can get in on the 'wish list' won't be anything to the extent that we funded last year." Gibson explained that last fiscal year he appropriated approximately $300,000 for the staffing, equipment and supplies on the department's "wish list" after the FY08 level funded budget plus contractual increases was passed. Marotta explained that the proposed 6.8 percent increased budget for FY09 includes elementary school furniture, high school math textbooks and software, maintenance custodial supplies and contracted services, new staff positions and equipment replacement. The proposed appropriation of $366,765 for new staff positions in FY09 includes a district-wide elementary English Language Arts coach, a reading teacher at Coburn Elementary School, SPED paraprofessionals, a high school substance abuse counselor, a district-wide computer technician, a district-wide math coach and high school Twilight Academy stipends. Marotta said the Twilight Academy stipends will help to address the district's high dropout rate. She added that the district is looking to be more proactive and address students about the importance of completing their education as young as those in middle school. New program and item requests for FY09 include rigging, lighting and curtain maintenance for the high school auditorium stage and the restoration of elementary library books and periodicals. New equipment purchases or replacement requests include computers at the middle school and high school, 11 smart boards, printers, the transition of VCRs to DVD players, replacement of the high school chairlifts, network storage and the replacement of the security alarms at the high school. Capital expenditure requests include the replacement of the Jacobsen lawnmower for $80,000, the replacement of the incline chairlifts at the high school and the John Ashley Kindergarten School for $200,000, replacement of the alarm system at all schools for $250,000, air conditioning for the high school auditorium for $411,353 and a design for an updated driveway and parking lots at the high school for $100,000. Gibson said regardless of budgetary constraints his number one priority is to keep teachers in the classrooms above all else. "We have been a lot more fortunate than other communities that we haven't had to cut back [any teachers]," he said. He added that above the technology and other amenities, the teachers are the true facilitators of education. "I feel for the taxpayers. I'm a taxpayer. But the schools are what's suffering," School Committee member Kathy Alveras said. "I'm in favor of anything that has any substance to keep our kids in school." |