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MANCHESTER
BOARD OF EDUCATION
BUDGET WORKSHOP THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2005 |
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M
I N U T E S
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7:00
- 9:00 p.m.
Lincoln Center |
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A. OPENING PRESENT: Edwards, Golas, Hackett*, O'Neill, Rizzo, Robinson ABSENT: Huyler, Lok, Thresher ALSO
ABSENT: None
Mr. Robinson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Robinson led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Robinson stated that a Public Comment session would be added after the Opening Remarks. B. Opening
Remarks Public
Comments 2. Tom Stringfellow, 183 Hillstown Road. He stated that he supports the Race Relations seminar, and hopes that it remains in the budget. He also supports the full-time position of Ms. Kearney as K-12 Diversity Administrator, as he feels it is important to all children. He spoke about hate groups, the 140th anniversary of the Ku Klux Klan and noted an Intelligence Report magazine that was published in the spring, 2005. He stated that CPTV had a program entitled Teens Behind the Wheel. Additionally, there is an article in the Journal Inquirer (5/19/05) entitled Teen Files: Driving the No. 1 Killer of Teens. With Memorial Day approaching, he recognized the Vietnam Veteran's 30-year anniversary, and the Korean War Veterans. C. Superintendent's
Budget Presentation Tonight, I would like to share with you my deep concerns about the implications of the future economic and social strength of the Manchester Public Schools' budget appropriations. The following questions should be at the heart of the school budget deliberations in this evening's workshop session: What commitments are critical to ensure Manchester Public Schools' success? How can they be delivered in the most cost-efficient and effective manner? And, what is the best way to pay for these commitments? Our stance cannot be less than the requested appropriations needed to assure Manchester Public Schools' continued progress. Education is at the heart and soul of what Manchester has done historically, and what it must do in the future, to provide the foundation for economic expansion and broad opportunity. Indeed, education is fundamentally critical to ensuring Manchester's success in a globally competitive economy. The time has come to change the focus of the debate over the budget. Instead of merely debating the extent of cuts to our children's education, we should be focusing - even in these tough times - on how we recognize our children's education in a manner worthy of Manchester's legacy and future. After all, if Town government cannot educate the children of Manchester, what is its purpose? Nothing has transpired over the last year which lessens the need for a well-educated workforce to secure our future economic strength, or which should lead us to retreat from our commitment to first-class schools. In this regard, I believe that we must stand firmly against any further cuts to education in the current and next fiscal year. We must insist on accountability and the elimination of waste in our educational system. It is clear that significant financial commitment to children is required, both in the immediate term and the long term. As the next phase of the budget debate begins, I hope we can stand together to support the policies and values essential to our children's future success, which builds our long-term economic and social strength. This 5% budget adjustment from our recommended budget does not support our ability for our schools to remain competitive in programs with other districts in the state, or with other state of the art schools. It does not reflect our ability to maintain the proper support in place to educate our children, whose educational needs may be unique, and does not reflect the level of services that places us out in the forefront of other school systems in addressing the needs of our students with the availability of resources. Citizens of Manchester, with this budget time stands still for us, and perhaps takes us back in time. Programs that were once in place to support dropout prevention, such as the Vertices Program, will need to be reorganized to accommodate the severe overcrowding at our High School. As I conduct my Walkthroughs at the high school, there is certainly no exaggeration in the class sizes that I have personally observed. Our computer equipment continues to age, our textbook adoption process remains on hold, and our furniture remains worn and in some instances, obsolete. Additionally, one is confronted with multiple programs regarding the No Child Left Behind Act and schools have students in need of additional support. Unfortunately, this same budget format as used for the past 7 years, has now proved inadequate to the Board of Directors, resulting in only a 5% increase. I cannot rely on a contingency expenditure to run my school system. All in all, I am still proud of the fact that we were able to set the record straight, and return to the Town what was rightfully theirs, specifically with Special Ed Tuition funds at CREC; however, the adjustment of the General Manager's recommendation in what he regarded as a fair appropriation for school funding had also been in question. I would personally like to thank Steve Werbner and his staff, and especially Rob Huestis, for helping us in our charge to advocate for children. This new budget after hundreds of hours of thoughtful consideration will outline for you a 4.3% reduction from the Board of Education's approved budget of 9.33%. As your superintendent of schools, I will always protect our children's education, preserve the integrity of our teachers and administrators, and recommend reductions that will hopefully not significantly compromise what our mission is in educating our children; a right that is theirs, and our sole obligation. With that, I respectively submit and recommend the following reductions and adjustments to the 2005-2006 Budget. Ms. Ouellette stated she would meet the challenge of the 5 percent budget taking full measure of ourselves and our buildings. The district is committed to excellence in teaching and learning. The budget still reflects a clear vision of student achievement; every student meets high standards; there continues to be integrity of the Manchester Public Schools mission, Strategic Plan and School Improvement Planning; and, still reinforces the Board of Education policies designed to improve student achievement. This budget supports the equal access to resources to the best of its capabilities. They are allowing equitable allocation of resources based on student and school need. Professional development and staff evaluation will need to be in place based on the No Child Left Behind legislation and mandates, and the district is still committed to hiring a diverse teaching staff. There is a commitment to returning the special education students to their home schools with adequate personnel and the inclusion practices, and restoring the K-12 Equity Supervisor to a full-time position. Commitments also include professional development to improve teaching and learning; literacy and mathematics staff and resources; funding for Alternative Education programs; class size goals at elementary levels; and funding for all approved inter-district magnet schools. District initiatives that are supported include data-driven decision making for professional development and reorganization of staff within district to help with the NEASC accreditation process at Manchester High School. The budget reflects Federal and State mandates and local commitments such as Least Restrictive Environment (LRE); improving student achievement through No Child Left Behind; facility maintenance; and technology systems development and planning support. In January, the Board of Education adopted a budget for 2005-2006 of $86,409,806, which was an increase over the past year of $7,734,710. The recommended percentage increase was 9.33%. The Board of Director's appropriated educational budget was a 5% increase of $82,986,851, which reflects a total reduction of $3,422,955. Reductions
that have been recommended include: TOTAL PERSONNEL REDUCTION $880,463 Tuition
reductions: TOTAL TUITION REDUCTION $950,174 Equipment/Software
reductions: TOTAL EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE REDUCTION $590,861 Instructional
Programs reductions: TOTAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM REDUCTION $424,466
TOTAL TRANSPORTATION REDUCTION $315,000 Maintenance/Custodial
reductions: TOTAL MAINT./CUSTODIAL REDUCTION $ 40,221 Information
Systems reductions: TOTAL INFORMATION SYSTEM REDUCTION $ 33,200 Central
Office reductions TOTAL CENTRAL OFFICE REDUCTIONS $ 50,500 Special
Education reductions: TOTAL SPECIAL ED. REDUCTIONS $171,000 Miscellaneous
reductions: TOTAL MISCELLENEOUS REDUCTIONS $ 34,070 Adjustments
to Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Budget TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS +$67,000 She stated
this 5% budget does not reflect a contingency fund, and is based upon
the actual percent. She cautioned the Board that significant adjustments
might need to be made to the budget throughout the year in the following
areas: District deficiencies include computer technology integration, in that this is the second year the district will not be able to purchase computers and stay current. Summary
of Reductions: TOTAL BUDGET REDUCTIONS/ADJ. $3,422,955 She stated that she is committed to preserving and protecting the programs and level of instruction to the students. The reductions do not impact students directly. D. Questions
and Answers Mr. Golas thanked the Superintendent for keeping all programs in existence, and commended her on spreading the cuts over the entire system without targeting one group or area. He asked how homeless and special education transportation could be reduced. Mrs. Brooks stated that they are hoping to return some of the special education students to the district with the Least Restrictive Environment. This coupled with students graduating hopes to save $100,000. She stated that it is an educated guess that the savings will be there. Regarding homeless transportation, this year the district has been very fortunate and they are hoping to be as fortunate next year to stay at $50,000 instead of the $100,000 that is budgeted. Mr. Golas questioned the tuition costs and asked if it was because there is a better grasp on the situation this year. Mrs. Brooks stated that it was, and that it would only happen if the Governor's proposed budget comes through, which would mean budgeting at 100% reimbursement for excess cost and at 4.5 times the per pupil. This year, it is 5 times the per pupil at 72% funding. She stated that this is a very volatile number and they are hoping the Governor's proposed budget stands. This number could change. Mr. Golas asked how legal fees would be reduced. He asked if this would be done regarding grievances and such, and if the Town Attorney would be relied upon. Ms. Ouellette stated that services would be more consolidated and streamlined, consulting with legal firms when there was a need. She stated the Board has an attorney who is the Director of Personnel, and her expertise will be relied upon. Mrs. O'Neill asked about bringing more students into the district to MRA, as well as increased out-of-district tuition. Ms. Ouellette stated they have been making a concerted effort to track where the students are such as outplacements and DCF placements. She stated that she would share a report with the Board prepared by Mrs. Tait. Mrs. Tait stated that they were going to increase the Manchester slots at MRA, and they decided not to do this. They have several students who are placed out that will be going into community-based transition programs rather than in their tuition placements. Therefore, they will be paying consultants and saving a little on tuitions. Additionally, they are hoping to do a better job assessing students in an effort to provide better-targeted programs for them. This will allow students to stay at the middle schools and high school instead of MRA. Mrs. O'Neill stated there were a couple of changes last year with No Child Left Behind regarding homeless transportation. She asked if this has been addressed. Mrs. Tait stated that the district has been fortunate that the homeless families this year have found shelter arrangements closer to town, saving on transportation costs. She noted that the legislation on this subject has not significantly changed. She stated these are all volatile accounts and the district has been lucky this year. They are hoping to have the same luck next year. Mr. Edwards asked about the 3510 reduction. He thought it was not really a reduction but a recalculation based on the percentage increase. Ms. Ouellette confirmed that it was an adjustment of figures based on the 5%. Mr. Edwards pointed out that the word "eliminate" shows up a lot on the list. He reviewed all of the items proposed to be eliminated, and stated that once something is eliminated, it is gone forever. He questioned the summer school graduation cut, and asked if students would come back to school for another year with associated costs based on this elimination. Ms. Ouellette stated the summer school program would be in place, but the fees would be adjusted. Mr. Edwards asked if the district is at risk of having someone who cannot afford these classes coming back for a full year at a higher cost to the district. Ms. Ouellette stated the classes will be available and fees would be sought which would be on a sliding scale if the family were in need. Everyone would pay something. Mrs. Gejda stated this specifically refers to courses in mathematics and language arts, where students have to demonstrate competency. They offer a variety of ways for students to do this: by scoring a certain score on the CAPT and by taking these senior courses in the summer. The recommendation of the Board was that for this summer, the students would have an opportunity to demonstrate competency in a portfolio type environment in math and English. It will still be offered, however, the Board will not be able to assist students with the cost associated with these classes. Mr. Edwards noted that the district is really starting to fall behind in computer technology. He stated a few years ago, there was a lease-purchase plan. He noted no computers have been leased within the past two years. He asked what would happen next year. He believes the longer the district waits; the bigger the hole will get to climb out of. Ms. Ouellette stated that this will set the district back, but she is hoping for different solutions for next year. They have done a lot of reorganization within the district to try to provide support to the high school. Hopefully, they will be able to reorganize again in the future. Mr. Edwards understands the dilemma but has a fear that this will become the same type of problem the district had with the buildings, where they declined because there was no money for many years. He feels that if the same is done with technology, it is even worse because the district relies on technology as teaching tools. He believes it is an integral part of the classroom. Ms. Ouellette agreed that Manchester would not be as competitive as some of the state-of-the-art schools. Mr. Edwards stated the Superintendent did an admirable job of keeping student achievement number one on the list. He hoped that the budget workshops would be a chance for Board members to hash the budget out. He asked if there are any other cuts the Superintendent might propose if the Board wanted to restore any of the cuts offered in this proposal. Ms. Ouellette stated that she does not have any other recommended budget cuts to give to the Board. Mrs. Brooks
stated the administration is going to request the Board of Education
ask the Board of Directors to return to the district the tuition money
for billing, and hopefully for next year as well. She agreed that there
are no other cuts to offer which do not directly affect students. If
they are wrong in their assumptions, they will have to freeze some accounts.
They are hoping they don't have to do this. She noted they are down
to using supplies that are in the schools, the vehicles are in dire
shape, which need to be replaced, and there is no money in the budget
for furniture. They felt these items would impact the students the least.
Ms. Ouellette agreed and thanked Mr. Edwards for his comments. She stated that she currently has a hiring freeze on, and reorganizing positions from within, watching for class sizes. E. Closing
Comments F. Adjourn The Board of Education adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Margaret
Hackett, Secretary |
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