Budget passes but not before controversy over education

Date: 6/29/2010

June 30, 2010.

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor

AGAWAM -- The city's $79 million fiscal year 2011 (FY11) budget was passed unanimously by the city council on June 21 but not before a boisterous group of approximately 250 townspeople crowded the council's meeting to fight against what some say were falsely reported school budget cuts.

Superintendent Mary Czajkowski and School Committee member Diane Juzba issued a call to arms via the Connect-Ed telephone system informing parents that City Councilors Robert Magovern, Robert Rossi and John Walsh were seeking $1.1 million in cuts to the school department's $33.9 million FY11 budget. The three councilors denied they agreed to make any such motion and reprimanded Czajkowski for providing parents with false information.

"The superintendent cried wolf and misused the [Connect-Ed] system, which should be used for emergencies," Walsh said. "My suggestion for the future: take the superintendent's word with a grain of salt."

Czajkowski disagreed. "I don't feel it was misused in any way ... It was my duty to inform parents," she said."I will continue to use the Connect-Ed system [to notify parents] when it affects the educational welfare of their children."

She added, "It's unfortunate what happened but I hope that we [the school department and the council] can get past this and continue to work together."

Juzba said her Connect-Ed message that an additional $1.1 million in cuts "would have a devastating effect on our children's overall education, such as: increased class sizes, user fees and possibly the elimination of project see [advanced placement], teaming at the junior high, art and music programs and athletics."

Czajkowski noted more than $800,000 was already cut from the department's budget, plus an additional $200,000 per Mayor Richard Cohen's request.

Cohen said overall cuts were unavoidable due to "drastic reductions" to state aid by $1.8 million and $698,232 less in federal stimulus funds.

He noted cuts were also made to personnel including a half-time senior clerk, an assistant treasurer, half-time code enforcement officer, animal control and one post within the Department of Public Works.

"We retained all critical town and school services," Cohen said, adding that the FY11 budget was only an increase of 1.2 percent over FY10.

Rossi cautioned that despite passage of the operating budget this year, more dark days are ahead. "It's raining out there folks and we're going to have to dodge those raindrops soon. This is the good news folks; the bad news is coming," he said.