Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski speaking to School Committee. (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD – At a public hearing on the FY18 budget for Westfield Public Schools on Tuesday, the district demonstrated that a lot of work has already been done to reduce expenditures. The original projected budget of $61,802,493, an increase of $2.9 million over FY17 to maintain services at the current level in the district, has been decreased to $60,345,300, or $1.4 million over FY17.
“A lot of folks have spent a lot of time and energy on it,” said Ronald Rix, director of technology and business services at the start of a presentation laying out the numbers.
Rix said the $2.9 million deficit came in part from a “perfect storm” of severance and longevity payments. The $351,177 increase in severance payments resulted in a total of $906,000 on the line item. However, Rix said that next year (FY19), the projected severance payments will be $660,000, and by FY20, $300,000.
Severance payments will no longer be offered in 2023, a change that was worked out in union negotiations. In the FY18 budget, there is also a $1.8 million increase in salaries, including longevity and step increases, which were also a part of the negotiations.
“One reason we worked on severance so hard, is to make the budget more predictable,” said School Committee member Ramon Diaz, Jr. “That money in severance will come back. We said it was going to be worse next year.”
“With $500,000 coming off in two years, I couldn’t agree with you more. From the business side, it’s more efficient,” Rix said.
Another increase in the budget for next year is $142,000 more in deferred maintenance, a priority of the new superintendent, according to Rix. He said a new roof is needed at Abner Gibbs and another for the high school gymnasium. Also included in the line item, which totals $510,000 in FY18 is the cost of relocating Russell School in June 2018.
Rix said the district was able to offset the increases with reductions in several areas. He said right now they have projected 16 retirements in the district, and have 26 unfunded positions in the budget. These two factors allowed them to be able to reduce personnel costs by $784,000.
Rix said the budget calls for 22 total fewer positions than in FY17. Of those, three are teachers and five are administrators.
Other savings included $94,000 less in utilities. Rix said the refurbished HVAC system in Franklin Avenue alone showed significant savings. He said schools also set back their thermometers during vacation weeks. That in addition to the second mild winter in a row and energy markets which have stabilized all helped.
Another savings was gained from the renegotiated lease for the Russell Elementary School, which was reduced by $150,000. These and other savings combined added up to $1.49m off of the previous projected increase of $2.9 million.
In the Governor’s budget, which Rix said is traditionally the lowest of the three (House and Senate) budgets, there is also an anticipated increase of Chapter 70 money for Westfield, for a total of $532,049. Rix said he is hopeful that amount will increase, further reducing the increase needed to maintain level services in the schools for FY18.
At the start of the meeting, Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski outlined his priorities for the district in FY18 which are reflected in the budget, the first being to maintain class sizes at 20 for K-2, and 25 for 3-12.
Strengthening the district’s business and community partnerships is another priority, which he said will result in increased mentoring programs, career events and internships. Czaporowski said another goal is to begin embedding career pathways into existing curriculum.
To continue to prioritize academic growth at all levels, the focus will be on health and science curriculum work at all levels. Other initiatives include freshmen academies at Westfield High School, dual enrollment expansion with area colleges, and Universal Design for Learning on all levels, which allows for the development of more flexible learning environments.
Czaporowski has said that one of his top priorities is to reduce the dropout rate, and engage all students in the learning process. Included in the budget is the creation of an Alternative Education School/Program at the Boys and Girls Club, and the continuation of the Pathways program for returning students and students at risk. He repeated his determination at the meeting on Tuesday, stating, “Even one student dropping out is too many.”
Other priorities include a continued focus on positive school and district climates, and the continued integration of technology into the curriculum, as the district prepares for online assessments.
Finally, both Czaporowski and Rix said the district must begin to address deferred maintenance needs.
Finance sub-committee chair Kevin Sullivan set a meeting to begin to go over the line item budget for Wednesday, April 5 at 5 p.m., and thanked the administration from the principals right on through for what he called a Herculean effort in getting the budget to the School Committee ahead of schedule. Rix had said during his presentation that the district is three weeks ahead of their normal budget schedule.
