Area cities, towns get extra education funds

Date: 8/31/2010

Sept. 1, 2010

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor

GREATER SPRINGFIELD -- School superintendents across Western Massachusetts struggled to balance the books this fiscal year amidst federal, state and municipal budget cuts, a byproduct of the global financial crisis. Last week, some semblance of relief came to each of them in the form of the federal Education Jobs Fund.

Gov. Deval Patrick announced the allocation of $204 million from the fund on Aug. 25, totaling at least $25 per student more than last year. Combined with $3.85 billion in Chapter 70 funds with $20.7 million in federal stimulus monies, the total brings "state support for public schools to its highest level in history," funding approximately 2,700 teaching positions, according to the Patrick Administration.

Speaking to Reminder Publications, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray said the national competition for the federal Race to the Top funding was intense and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the Massachusetts application "hit it out of the park."

The federal funding will "allow us to have more tools to address under-performing schools," Murray explained.

Murray added this grant, along with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, "sharpens our game."

At press time it was announced Duncan and Murray would be in Springfield on Monday to comment on the federal grant award and to host a community forum on education at the High School of Commerce. Congressman Richard Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville and Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester were scheduled to attend.

Murray added that Chicopee was one of 11 municipalities in the state that did not receive any of this federal funding. He said the level of funding Chicopee already receives along with the formula used to allocate the grant amounts placed the city outside of the parameters.

"We are ecstatic about the release of money for Holyoke. It is desperately needed," Holyoke School Superintendent David Dupont said of the department's receipt of $2.9 million from the fund.

"We had several years of budget reductions and we are going to be quickly putting our heads together to see where we can use this the best with regards to bringing back teacher positions that were lost," he continued. "It will help in the array of content and support services. This is really good news for Holyoke!"

Westfield School Superintendent Shirley Alvira echoed Dupont's sentiments.

"This means so much to us," she said of the $1.5 million allocation. "The idea of this [fund] is to restore jobs. We lost 100 positions in the past three years and I want to put teachers back in the classrooms."

Alvira explained her department would use the money for foreign language teachers and special education personnel.

East Longmeadow School Department, which incurred no layoffs this fiscal year

"[Town Administrators] did a fantastic job being able to be fiscally conservative and allowing the [school] system to maintain jobs," East Longmeadow School Superintendent Gordon Smith explained of the budget process. "What I think has been put on hold, and that's what we'll start to look at, is positions that will allow us expansion."

The $255,923 allocated to East Longmeadow will most likely be used to expand existing department personnel, he added.

West Springfield Interim School Superintendent Dr. Russell Johnston said there are no plans as of yet for the department's $540,326 allocation; however, he and the School Committee will make plans to distribute the funds at the group's future meetings.

The Agawam School Department has been allocated $700,993; while Granby received $213,245; Longmeadow was allocated $248,412; South Hadley garnered $371,732; Springfield received $5.2 million; Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District garnered $558,100; and Southwick-Tolland Regional School District was awarded $388,313.