School Committee members Bo Sullivan, Cindy Sullivan, Tim O’Connor and Mayor Brian P. Sullivan at budget review on Monday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – On Monday, Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and Chief Financial Officer Ronald R. Rix presented the proposed FY20 district budget to the School Committee’s Finance sub-committee, chaired by Tim O’Connor. Czaporowski described it as a balanced budget with no increase to the city, plus a savings of $465,000 on the city side in health insurance benefits, due to 37 fewer employees.
The superintendent said initial requests from the schools showed a potential increase of $6.1 million. The district then reduced the increase to $1.9 million, which will be offset by an increase in Chapter 70 local aid of approx. $2.1 million from the state.
The total FY20 budget request before the state is $63,164,542, a 3.1% increase over FY19. The budget request to the city is $61,240,790, which equals the FY19 approved budget for the school district.
“I think we’re doing a lot of the right things,” Czaporowski said.
Rix said FY20 is a unique year, and the strategic proposal addresses the district’s needs into the future. He said the $2.1 million increase in Chapter 70 is intended by the state to update a funding formula last redone in 1993, before the current increased costs and demands for special education, English language learners and health insurance. “We’ve tried to apply the spirit and intent of the new formula,” Rix said.
O’Connor asked how the district will sustain the new investments in two years. Rix said the budget contains one-time and strategic investments in facilities, technology and instructional supplies instead of increased personnel that would have to be sustained. He said the FY20 budget is 77% personnel and 23% expenses, down from 80/20 previously.
In facilities, Rix said they are looking to hire an HVAC person and free up $100,000 in maintenance costs to re-invest back into the maintenance budget. He said the district’s investment in maintenance has already lowered energy consumption and costs.
Rix said they are also making a one-time investment of $150,000 in new curriculum for social studies, which will have a six-year life.
Some special education services are being contracted out, largely due to the difficulty of hiring specialized professionals, who are in great demand region-wide for the positions.
Finance committee member Ramon Diaz, Jr. said having more contracted positions in special education results in a savings to the city in insurance benefits. He said the district is incurring some of the costs from the city. “We need to make sure next year that message gets out. We’re trying to pull some of the burden off the city,” Diaz said.
District CFO Ronald R. RIx and Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski answer questions from the School Committee. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Rix said when the district contracts out for services, it costs a little more per person, because the benefits and health insurance that would be paid by the city for full-time staff positions are included in the cost of the contracts.
Czaporowski said contracting some of the services also takes a burden off the school district, because they were struggling to fill those positions. Human Resource director Paula Ceglowski gave the example of a speech therapist who had resigned, and the district used the money to contract out the services when they weren’t able to fill the position. Czaporowski said the shortage of speech therapists is a Western Mass-wide problem.
Rix said the district is also running a deficit in special education out-of-district tuitions, which are offset in part by Circuit Breaker and other grants. Martha H. von Mering, administrator of special education for the district said there are 80 students out of district right now. Total out-of-district tuitions equal $4.8 million for in-state placements, plus $300,000 for one out-of-state residential placement; while the offsets equal $1.7 million.
Czaporowski said $1.4 million of the increased Chapter 70 funds will be used to cover the same amount of increases in the special education budget for FY20.
School Committee member Diane Mayhew asked whether there was any sense that children who were sent out of district might come back. Czaporowski said it can be difficult, especially if the child is successful in the program they are attending.
“We need to provide services for every child. We’re saving millions with the programs we do have, that we didn’t have six years ago,” School and Finance committee member Cindy Sullivan said. Diaz said the district is doing its due diligence to keep kids in Westfield.
“As we continue to build programs, we will bring children back,” said von Mering. She said they are currently looking for possible spaces for a smaller, alternative school for a trauma-based program for children with emotional impairment, which she said is “down the road.”
Czaporowski said there are eight students going out of district for vocational programs not offered at Westfield Technical Academy, such as animal husbandry. The total anticipated cost of vocational out-of-district tuition is $153,000. In response to a question, he said that WTA is at capacity, which is why they are developing new career track programs at WHS, including engineering and criminal justice. Some startup money is in the budget for these two career technical programs at WHS, Rix said.
Czaporowski said WTA brought in approx. $1.4 million in tuition from out-of-district students this past year, which goes into the general fund. Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said the city will be looking to return some of that money in investments in the WTA’s programs in the FY20 city budget.
WTA Principal Joseph Langone said there are 155 incoming freshman in FY20, 125 from Westfield, and 30 out of district; and the school is on track to maintain that income in tuition.
Rix said the state sets the rate for the tuition for vocational schools, which is not yet set.
Council President Ralph Figy, who attended the budget review along with Councilors Mary Ann Babinski and Cindy C. Harris, said the state vocational tuition rate is based on the amount of money in the school’s budget. “The higher the numbers, the higher the tuition rate,” Figy said.
School Committee member Bo Sullivan asked whether any negotiated raises are in the budget, as Unit A, custodians and secretaries are currently in negotiations for new three-year contracts. Rix said the bottom line would remain the same following negotiations, but the district would work on any changes to the line items with the School Committee.
After reviewing individual school building-based budgets and expenses, Diaz made a motion to accept the budget proposal as presented, which passed the Finance sub-committee 3-0. The School Committee is expected to vote on the budget at its next meeting on Monday, May 4.
