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Date: 4/25/2023
SPRINGFIELD — Although there are slightly fewer students in the Springfield school district, the proposed budget for the next fiscal year has increased substantially.
School officials say one of the principal reasons driving the increase is the cost of energy. Members of the Finance Subcommittee of the School Committee recently met with Superintendent Daniel Warwick and Patrick Roach, director of Office of Business & Financial Services, to review the budget before it goes to the full committee for approval on May 4.
Roach told the subcommittee there is a $2.2 million increase in supplies and services, a $3 million increase in health insurance costs, but the largest increase is a 28.2% increase in utilities costs.
Warwick said of the huge increase in utilities, “It’s never happened before.” School Committee member Christopher Collins said the school district “is suffering the same way as all the homes.”
According to the proposed budget in fiscal year 2023 the enrollment was 28,613 students with a budget of $483.9 million . The proposed FY24 budget would serve 28,326 students with a budget of $525.8 million.
The amount of funding supplied to the city from the state’s Chapter 70 funding has increased from $439.2 million in FY23 to $477.7 million in FY24, an increase of $38.6 million.
According to the budget, “For FY24, Springfield Public Schools has allocated $31.5 million ($1,850 per student) directly to schools for school-based teams to make budget decisions.
In the introduction to the budget, Warwick wrote, “For more than three years, Springfield Public Schools has been engaged in a community-wide effort to envision the Portrait of a Graduate. It has been an effort pointed towards uncovering the community’s hopes and dreams for what students should know and be able to do upon graduation. We heard from more than 3,000 stakeholders representing everything from student and teacher voices to employer and community needs. The result is a vision that is now in clear focus, and fully supported by the FY24 budget.
“Across all funds, over $45.4 million will go directly to schools so each can customize a spending plan that best addresses the needs of their students in a way that is aligned with a focus on the six priorities identified by the community as key components of a comprehensive SPS education:
“That students have the academic knowledge and skills to critically understand the world, form opinions, and solve problems.
“That students listen to others and convey ideas with respect, openness, and clarity.
“That students practice resilience, self-awareness, and advocacy to navigate challenges and new situations. That students can independently navigate the world as empathetic and respectful adults.
“That students will lead with confidence, empathy and kindness in their family, community, Springfield, and beyond.
“And that, students can identify and pursue career pathways that empower and sustain them.
“The [FY24] budget is built upon these priorities in a way that allows schools to expand upon existing successful programs that address these tenants, but it also gives schools latitude to invest in new and innovative data-driven programs, curriculums and initiatives that will further propel the Portrait of a Graduate trajectory.”