Gateway School budget fails by one vote
by Amy Porter
Hilltown correspondent
The Gateway Regional Budget Version 2.0, with an amendment proposed by Gretchen Eliason of Worthington and Anne-Marie Buikus of Montgomery to eliminate the $70,000 stabilization fund request and add $30,000 to extraordinary maintenance for needed repairs to the school, fell short of passage by one vote at the School Committee meeting last night.
Because a three-quarter majority of the school committee is needed to pass a budget, and four of the committee’s 16 members were absent, all 12 committee members who were present had to vote in favor of the budget for passage. The amendment was proposed because Eliason and Buikus did not believe the budget would pass with funding included for the stabilization fund.
William Hathaway of Huntington, the lone dissenter and one of the newer members of the School Committee who joined in September, was asked by Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson, why he voted no with no comment after a long discussion.
“The big thing with this budget,” Hathaway said, “is the reason (given) for wage increases, longevity. You keep going up and up in the budget, and the taxpayers in town have to do with less and less. Taxpayers have no more money.”
Dr. Hopson asked if Hathaway would be in favor of Russell’s proposal, which would be a zero percent increase in assessments to all the towns, and approximately $800,000 out of the school budget. Hopson added that the last time Gateway saw a decrease of that size, 38 staff positions were eliminated.
Hathaway responded, “You can’t keep asking the taxpayers for more. Nothing from nothing is nothing.”
Stephanie Fisk, Gateway business and finance manager, responded, “I have a real problem with people saying that the budget keeps going up, because we’ve cut 1.3 million from the budget,” referring to the overall reduction in Gateway’s budget since 2009.
Buikus, who voted in favor of the budget, said, “Can I just say something for Bill (Hathaway). The people looked at the longevity and said, ‘oh, I didn’t know we gave raises.’ It does look as though everybody is getting a raise.”
Buikus added that people in the towns are studying the budget this year.
Hopson responded that the longevity payments were voted on in the administrative contract by the school committee last year, which brought benefits for administrative and non-union employees in line with the benefits of union employees.
“The problem is that to blame the school is not appropriate.,” said Hopson. “We need to have twelve people here voting yes on this budget next week.”
A vote was then taken and passed to call a special School Committee meeting for next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. to take another vote on the budget. The School Committee is required to pass a budget 45 days prior to the first annual town meeting. When asked afterwards what will happen if the budget does not pass next week, Hopson said, “We’ve been in contact with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and have not gotten a clear and written answer to that question. So we will be contacting them again on Wednesday.”
“I’m just disappointed that there’s still so much misinformation out there about the school budget being the cause of tax increases. Clearly, with the decrease in the overall school budget, the decrease in assessments, and the decrease in state aid, we have not been the cause of taxes going up over the last four years,” said Hopson.
Phil Winterson of the Russell Finance Committee, spoke up following the vote.
“I know you have to adopt a budget in that 45 day timeline. The last thing any of us want is to put the budget in the hands of Boston bureaucrats,” Winterson said.
“Right now, with this amendment, we’re looking at a $100,000 increase. That $100,000 in our eyes is too big a nut to crack. Our taxes in Russell are the highest in the district. It’s been said that Russell has a lot of reserves, but we’ve got Carrington Road on our mind, and the estimate is $1 million with no offer of help from the state,” Winterson added.
“Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to get a clearer picture of where our town’s finances are. Even if you adopt this budget next week, I urge you to keep working on it. I’ve committed to getting in touch with our representatives about increased transportation aid. Let’s keep working on this, even if you adopt it,” said Winterson.
Ron Damon, long-time Huntington School Committee member, who earlier in the discussion had advocated strongly for the need to keep money in the stabilization fund for upcoming major projects, said “We’re looking to get ourselves into a real mess, if we don’t have a School Committee strong enough to do what we need to do for the school.”
Moderator Beth Brett of Chester pointed out that since the stabilization fund had been voted into existence in 2008, it has never been funded.
Earlier in the meeting, Pat Correira, a field director with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, spoke to the School Committee about the results of the self-evaluations they filled out last spring. She began by suggesting that the committee do the self-evaluation again, because of the new members. Other suggestions included holding a workshop on goals and objectives, and improving member relations, particularly when there is disagreement.
“There is no them, us, me, you; we’re a team,” said Correirs
Shirley Winer of Chester asked Correira, “How do you create an atmosphere where people are more likely to raise their hand and ask questions?” Winer expressed some concern that without discussion, it was hard to know what committee members were thinking. Correira said, “You just have to keep saying there are no stupid questions.”
Correira also said that in the self-evaluation, the School Committee did not give itself high marks on advocating for the budget in the community. “You need to be out there telling your constituencies that this is what they need to educate the students.”
“You’re here for student achievement, that’s why you’re all here. If that’s not first and foremost in your mind, and you’re more concerned about the money you’re spending, then you don’t belong here – you belong on the Finance Committee or on the Board of Selectmen,” added Correira, who previously had served for twelve years on the Springfield School Committee.
