Huntington – The Gateway Regional School Committee met last evening to revisit the FY17 budget that passed on March 9, which contained a 2.11% increase in assessments to the towns of $189,671, despite an overall reduction of more than $400,000 from last year’s budget.
After the budget initially failed to pass at the March meeting, Gateway Business Manager Stephanie Fisk had suggested that the Committee reconvene once the House budget numbers came out, which have historically lowered assessments to the towns. A second vote for the $15,938,128 FY17 budget passed at the March meeting with an amendment to reconsider assessments once the House budget was known.
Last night, a revised budget was presented which included a downward adjustment of $91,932 in assessments, reducing the overall increase to the towns to 1.09%. This was made possible due to an increase of just over $30,000 in Chapter 70 funds, and just under $60,000 in transportation reimbursement contained in the House budget.
“What if the amount from the state is less?” asked Russell representative Ruth Kennedy during discussion of the motion to approve the revised budget. The state budget was not finalized until mid-July last year.
“The reality is, this does happen. The School Committee asked us to reduce assessments based on the best numbers we have,” answered Gateway Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson.
The request by the School Committee came after the towns wrote to the School Committee asking to keep assessments at last year’s levels. Last year however, the district received $630,000 in mitigation funds from the state to offset Worthington’s withdrawal, which are not in the new budget. What is in the budget is $83,850 as Worthington’s contribution.
Huntington Finance Committee member Darlene McVeigh asked the School Committee about this figure, which she said is not in Worthington’s budget.
“That is part of the litigation against the town,” said Fisk.
“The short answer is, we’ll have to make that up, and there will be less in E&D at the end of the year,” said Hopson.
Fisk said if Chapter 70 goes up again in the Senate version, the revenue will automatically reduce town assessments further. If the regional transportation fund goes up, Fisk said, than the school could add the revenue to a Regional Transportation Reimbursement Fund which the State has recently allowed school districts to create to help plan for the following year’s budget.
“It’s a calculated risk,” said Fisk.
A roll call vote on the revised budget was taken, which passed unanimously. The revised assessments will be presented to the towns at their upcoming annual town meetings.
School Committee votes against waiving kindergarten entrance age
In other business before the School Committee, a request by a family to waive the starting date for Kindergarten this fall was revisited from the last meeting. The child will miss the September 1 entrance age deadline by ten days.
Littleville Elementary School Principal Megan Coburn was asked for her evaluation of the child’s readiness for kindergarten. Coburn said that the child is one of Gateway’s current preschoolers, and very bright. But she said her concern is that this is not the only parent making this request.
“Now we’ve had about five phone calls, and we are down to two kindergarten teachers in Littleville,” she said.
Coburn said the census shows 55 age-appropriate children who could potentially enroll in the fall. She said they usually estimate that 10-15 won’t enroll in Gateway.
“Even if we end up with 40, that’s 20 in each class. If there’s a policy, do we stick to the policy?” Coburn asked. She said she also has three five-year-olds on a waiting list for school choice.
“I would suggest that we hold the class size to 20, and have the children wait,” Hopson said.
“As a parent of preschoolers, it takes a lot of planning, and I think it’s unfair to say wait until September,” Coburn said.
“I feel like every town has a deadline for a reason,” said Russell representative Tara Balboni.
“If this motion is voted down, we will be saying that age is the only determination,” said Huntington representative Ron Damon.
“This subject has been brought up every single year. The decision you make today will come back to haunt you. Whatever you say today is going to come back next year,” said Gateway Pupil Services Director Alice Taverna. Last year, the School Committee did waive the entrance age for one child.
“My biggest concern with this is what you said at the beginning, that we’re bursting at the seam,” said School Committee Chair Michele Crane, and called for a vote. The motion to waive the entrance age for the child failed by a majority vote.
