Committee for Education in the 21st Century     Home
PO Box 812293
Wellesley, MA 02482-2293
 
   
COMMITTEE 21 UPDATE:    Budget Cuts Looming
   
   
   
On Tuesday night, the WPS Administration presented a revised budget to School Committee which outlines $1.4 million in cost reductions.  They also presented a budget which outlined a total of $3.1 million in cuts (the $1.4 million + $1.7 million more) in the event that there is no override or the override fails. 
 
These cuts significantly impact the delivery of the Educational Program in our public schools.  YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION is necessary.  Now is the time to voice your support:  Contact School Committee and Advisory Committee to give your input.  See below for more details.
 

Thank you for your continued interest in the issues which affect the Wellesley Public Schools.  For further information on Committee for Education in the 21st Century (Committee 21), please go to our website.

 

 
School Budget Cuts Looming
The town is currently facing a projected deficit of approximately $5.5 million for the next fiscal year which Town officials are working to bring down.  Even with significant reductions, the Town budget will almost certainly require an override to Proposition 2½.
 
Town departments have been asked to make cuts to their voted budgets in an effort to reduce the projected deficit and consequently reduce the amount of the override put before voters this spring.  Additionally, Town departments have been asked to present the budget that they would be forced to adopt if an override was either not presented to the voters or if the override failed at the polls.  
 

To this end, the WPS Administration has presented two budgets to School Committee:   

 

·     REVISED GUIDELINE BUDGET - with $1.4 million in cuts:  a $53.6 million budget which meets the guideline set by the Advisory Committee in all areas except for specific Special Education services (Special Transportation and Tuition).  This represents a $1.4 million reduction from level service (see below for a list of reductions).  Once voted, these are gone; even if there is a successful override, these items are gone from the budget and will not be reinstated. 

·    "NO OVERRIDE" BUDGET - with $3.1 million in cuts:  a $52 million budget which meets the Advisory Committee guideline.  This represents a $3.1 million reduction from level service.  This is termed the "no override budget."  The reductions outlined in this budget have a major impact on the delivery of program and class size (see below for more detail):

-    assumes the $1.4 million listed above have been eliminated, plus the following cuts:

-    over 14 teachers system-wide with significant impact on class size

-    over 7 support positions

-    reductions in secretarial staff

-    reductions in custodial staff

 

 

 
 
School Committee will review the proposed budgets over the next two weeks.  Final discussions and vote will occur at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 26th. 
 
Capital Budget Already Cut $359K 

Given the great pressure on Town departments to reduce expenses, School Committee has reduced the FY09 School Capital Budget by $359,000.

 

The reductions include the following:

-    Equipment -$84,549

-    Furnishings - $60,584

-    Infrastructure -$105,000

-    Replacement tech - $4,380

-    New technology - $87,423

-    Maintenance - $3,300

-    Instructional - $13,918

 
While the short-term strategy for reducing the budget deficit is laudable, it is concerning when important investments in capital are sacrificed. 
 
As a town, our officials are often criticized for not maintaining or investing in our capital assets at an adequate level.  It is important to be reminded of this as reductions are requested and then taken.
Cuts hit at every level
 

The REVISED GUIDELINE BUDGET (with $1.4 million in budget reductions) impacts every level of service in the WPS, most notably in the areas which had been included to accommodate the increasing enrollment. 

 

While each individual reduction in and of itself may be considered de minimus, taken together they continue the decade-long trend of incremental program degradation.  The reductions cut into the support and staffing needed to deliver the current program to the projected number of enrolled students.  If these items are cut, the ability to deliver the program is diminished and the burden falls on current staff and students.   These items will be cut on February 26th if approved by School Committee and they will not be reinstated even if an override prevails.

 

The specific reductions in the $1.4 million include the following:

 

Items budgeted to accommodate increasing enrollment:

-     Eliminate incremental elementary teacher

-     Eliminate incremental elementary art/library/o.t./support

-     Eliminate incremental MS family & consumer science/nursing/science/speech

-     Eliminate incremental HS fitness/industrial tech/nursing/SpEd

-     Eliminate incremental guidance professional

-     Eliminate incremental athletic team funding

-     Eliminate incremental orchestra staffing

 

 

Items budgeted to provide support services which have not been funded in the past and which are increasingly needed as enrollment continues to grow:

-     Eliminate building support personnel

-     Eliminate HS Assistant Principal and secretary

-     Eliminate SpEd out-of-district secretary

-     Eliminate building technology/data administration specialist

-     Eliminate custodian

-     Eliminate preschool coordinator

-     Eliminate incremental maintenance/custodial staffing

-     Eliminate library books
 
 

The "NO OVERRIDE BUDGET" cuts significantly in the pillars of the Educational Program.  These cuts cannot be considered to yield incremental program degradation, but rather cause a major realignment of program priorities. 

 

The specific reductions in the $3.1 million assumes the $1.4 million listed above, in addition to the following items, totaling $1.7 million:

 

Items budgeted to accommodate increasing enrollment:

-     Eliminate HS academic core teacher

-     Eliminate positions in MS drama/languages/fitness/o.t.

-     Eliminate teaching/psychology positions in elementary

 

Programmatic changes:

-     Eliminate roll-out of elementary math curriculum update

-     Reduce MS athletics teams from 2 to 1

-     Increase athletic fee at MS by $25

 

Core staffing reductions:

-     Eliminate 14 teachers

-     Eliminate 6 classroom support personnel

-     Eliminate custodian personnel

-     Eliminate secretarial support

-     Eliminate professional development

-     Eliminate SpEd out-of-district-coordinator

-     Eliminate ELL additional support

 

 

 

BE HEARD!

School Committee has requested input from town residents on the school budgets.  It is important that you voice your concerns and questions at every stage of this process.  Contact School Committee and the Advisory Committee with your opinion and support of the school budget.

 

Once decisions have been made, it is too late and an opinion becomes a lament.  Now is the time to be heard!

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Important Dates
 
Tuesday, Feb 26 
7:30 pm, WHS Library, School Committee Meeting
On the agenda:  WPS Operating Budget VOTE ON REDUCTIONS.
 
Thursday, Feb 28 
7:00 pm, WHS cafeteria, Candidates Night, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wellesley.
 
Tuesday, Mar 4
VOTE TODAY! 
Annual town election
.  Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm.  Click here for an absentee ballot application.
 
Monday, Mar 31
7:30 pm, WMS auditorium 
Annual Town Meeting starts