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Date: 12/2/2016
WILBRAHAM – Officials from the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) met with members of the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee to discuss ideas for improving the budget process for the upcoming 2018 fiscal year (FY18).
Finance Committee Chair Daniel Miles said the failed middle school unification initiative now results in a budget that is not efficient for FY18.
“I think that puts us in a dilemma, quite frankly, as to exactly where we’re going to go with the school budget,” he explained. “It’s not like I have any proposed solution here I just think a lot of the [committee] members would like to discuss where we’re at and what maybe the plan B is if there is a plan B,” Miles said, noting that HWRSD accounts for 60 percent of Wilbraham’s budget.
Superintendent of Schools Albert Ganem Jr. said the district is giving students the opportunity for students to attend Wilbraham Middle School or Thornton W. Burgess Middle School (TWB).
“There’s still a big piece that we’re unsure [about],” he added. “We don’t know what our numbers are going to look like right now.”
Ganem said the deadline for students changing schools is December.
He explained once the final numbers for middle school students changing schools is accounted for and fifth grade students are moved from TWB to Green Meadows Elementary School, the district would determine how many students are left at TWB.
“That’s where the School Committee, and myself, and my team have to make some decisions,” Ganem said.
Finance Committee member Marc Ducey, who previously served as a member of the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee, said his concern is that “all the goals align” between the school district and two towns.
“I’m not so sure that’s the case today,” he noted. “And now we have to develop a budget – 60 percent of [Wilbraham’s] budget goes to the schools … And now we’re going to be asked to step up with this. And I have some real concerns. How’s the school going to have this all make sense for both towns. I just have some real concerns.”
Selectman Robert Boilard asked Ducey if his concerns were districtwide or related to the middle schools.
“I think that’s kind of the elephant in the room,” Ducey responded. “That’s kind of magnified … There’s been some concerns [about the middle school issue] for a number of years, but I think there are some other issues that the district needs to be looking at … When you get a large portion of one town voting one way and a large portion of another town voting another way and there’s $40 million at stake – how’s this money going to be spent then if it’s everybody’s?”
Board of Selectmen Chair Susan Bunnell said she believes a shrinking budget, specifically a decline in state aid, affects all of the schools in the district.
Miles said he would also like the district to provide his committee with budget projections at an earlier date if possible.
Associate Superintendent of Schools Beth Regulbuto said HWRSD’s budget is heavily based on funding from the state. The governor’s budget isn’t released until late January, which delays the budget process.
She added the district would be happy to share budget assumptions with the Finance Committee prior to the governor’s budget made public. HWRSD typically presents its budget in March, about 45 days before Town Meeting.