HUNTINGTON – Gateway Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson presented the FY17 budget to over 20 people at a public hearing on the budget in the Gateway Performing Arts Center on Wednesday evening. In attendance were representatives from the district town governments, parents and school representatives. The discussion at the meeting centered on the discrepancy between the current version of the Gateway budget and the request by some of the member towns to level fund assessments to the towns.
Hopson said the district has already cut more than $400,000 from the budget, by closing the middle school office and moving the fifth grade into the elementary schools, creating a junior high and senior high configuration, and by eliminating retiring administrator positions and sharing their workload among other administrators. He also said the facility will also close at 9 p.m., which will save on energy costs. Altogether, Hopson said Gateway has reduced its administration by $330,000 over the last ten years.
Following the budget presentation, Hopson said he had one question for the towns.
“I’ve heard a lot from the towns about assessments,” he said. “I would like to hear from the towns what they can stretch and reach and pay. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be here Dec. 1 waiting for the state to set the school budget.”
Also speaking was teacher Jim Duggan, president of the Gateway Teacher’s Association, which is in negotiations for a contract. Duggan said the district cannot make further cuts in pay to teachers and remain competitive. He also said the district cannot cut class offerings and remain competitive. He said both actions will keep families from moving to the district.
“Let’s do everything to ensure that the district remains strong for years to come,” Duggan said.
Huntington Finance Committee Chair Darlene McVeigh spoke on behalf of the Gateway Collaborative Task Force in saying the Gateway towns are currently signing up for a “community compact” to explore regionalization and shared services among the towns. She encouraged the School Committee to be as proactive as the towns are being.
Hopson said that small rural school systems under 1,000 students will be getting together next week.
Andy Myers, representing the town of Chester, said his town did recommend level funding of assessments to last year’s levels. He said due to increasing tax rates in the hilltowns, more people want to move out than move in.
“I’m excited to say six towns have signed the community compact,” Myers said. “If we can make real changes, we could save hundreds of thousands of dollars. I believe that we can do that. My recommendation is to hold fast at this point.”
“You’re not talking about level funding of the budget, you’re talking about level funding of assessments,” Hopson said. “Because we’re already $400,000 down.”
He said level funding town assessments means another quarter of a million in cuts to the Gateway budget.
“We keep being asked to cut, and I understand the issues,” Hopson said. “It seems to me, we never get credit for cutting $1 million in the last two years.”
He said they could cut another quarter million dollars, but as Duggan said, that would mean cuts to teachers and class offerings.
“As a town and as a school district, we’re not going to cut our way out of this problem,” Hopson said.
He asked the towns to give the district a reasonable number to work towards, and not $250,000, which he called unreasonable.
Following the meeting, Hopson clarified his point.
“I intended to say that the school district does not seem to have received any credit for reducing its budget by nearly a million dollars over the last two years and a million and a half dollars over the last ten years. In fact, the district is operating on a budget that is essentially the same as in 2003, something I don’t believe any of our towns can lay credit to,” Hopson said.
“I would like to see you maintain services and not cut,” said Chester parent Michael Crochiere.
He said the biggest reason the towns are not seeing more people coming in is not having hi-speed Internet in the towns.
“Right now we have a Level 1 high school,” Crochiere said. “It’s a great school, and I’m looking forward to sending my kids there, but I don’t want any more cuts.”
“We’re asking you to look at other revenue streams,” said McVeigh.
She said they need to come up with solutions that make sense for Gateway, and keep the highest increase to the towns at 2 ½ percent for a few years.
“So what are you asking for? Chester is saying zero percent increase, Huntington, 2 ½ percent. I don’t think zero percent is reasonable. 2 ½ percent is reasonable,” Hopson said.
“The issue is that we must recognize that we have a problem. Just talking about this year’s budget isn’t the real issue in my mind,” Myers said.
“The revenue issue is real in all these small towns,” said Huntington Select Committee member Ed Renauld. “Last year, we tried to put the over minimum (assessment) as a 2 ½ percent override, and it failed miserably.” He said 70 percetnof town residents voted against it.
“When DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) approved the 1 1/2th budget, they approved the one the town voted down,” Renauld said. “We were starving for cash, and had trouble meeting our payroll.”
He said taxes went up $1.28 per thousand, and are now almost at $20 per thousand in Huntington.
“Now we have more issues with issues with people not paying their taxes because they can’t afford it,” Renauld said.
“I agree we’re not going to be able to raise the money through raising taxes,” Hopson said. “We’ll have to find another way.”
A question was asked about how the consultant that DESE has required Gateway to hire will fit in. Hopson said having an outside person take a look at how to enhance services and save money is “a great thing.”
“Unfortunately, the idea that greater regionalization is going to save you a bundle of money has not been proven in any of the states that have tried it,” Hopson said, referring to attempts in Maine and Vermont. “If the consultant comes up with five suggestions, that’s great.”
Following the meeting, Renauld said that the towns were financially stable until Worthington left the district. “But I think that just sped it up,” he added. “We were heading that way anyway.”
