WESTFIELD – The School Committee took a first look at budget projections in a Finance Committee meeting preceding its regular meeting on Monday night, at which all School Committee members and a dozen administrators and principals were in attendance. The discussion was continued into the regular meeting with no decisions. Finance Committee chair Kevin Sullivan scheduled another meeting for next Tuesday, January 17 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, in a room to be announced.
Westfield School Committee begins budget talks at Finance sub-Committee Monday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
The early budget projection shows an increase of $2.9 million in order to maintain services at the current level in the district, for a total FY18 budget of $61,802,493.
The increase is largely due to negotiated raises and steps in the new teachers contracts, in combination with severance pay which is being eliminated over the next five years, for a total increase in the personnel budget of more than $2.3 million.
Other increases include $370,332 in special education tuition, professional development expenses of $76,395, a negotiated increase of $88,405 in transportation services, $46,237 in utilities and $7,007 in building based budgets.
Several options were raised at the Finance Committee meeting to offset the projected budget increases. They included reducing staffing through attrition; staffing changes and reconfiguration; restructuring of schools and programs, and consolidation of Special Education services and programs.
“We have to come up with creative ways to solve some of these issues,” said School Committee member Ramon Diaz.
One of the solutions being considered is bringing Russell Elementary students back to Westfield, and reconfiguring the schools by moving the fifth grades into the middle schools. Several other reconfiguration possibilities were also presented. A decision was made to notify parents and teachers of potential changes being discussed, and invite them to the Finance Committee meeting next week.
The need to make some long-term changes was also tied to the recent decision by the Supreme Judicial Court to hear an appeal on the Ashley Street Elementary School building project, which School Committee member Cynthia Sullivan said could delay it by another two to five years.
“We don’t have an end in sight,” Sullivan said. The agreement with the Town of Russell was for an 18-month lease with three six-month options, for a total of three years. Currently, Westfield has exercised its first option to lease the building through June 30, 2017.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be how the kids are treated,” said Mayor Brian P. Sullivan about what decisions will ultimately be made.
