Clarksburg School Considering $80,000 in CutsBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
01:45AM / Monday, April 06, 2015 | |
 The School Committee is considering an $80,000 reduction from the fiscal 2016 budget to help close the town's budget gap. |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The proposed $2,567,736 school budget is expected to be cut by $80,000 at the behest of town officials.
Superintendent Jonathan Lev presented the number to the School Committee on Thursday night after meeting twice with the town's Finance Committee.
The reductions include two paraprofessionals and a school bus for $60,000 in savings; another $20,000 in circuit breaker funds will make up the balance.
"When I presented the reductions they seemed to feel that would be acceptable," Lev told the School Committee. "I'm hoping that they won't come back looking for anymore reductions."
The town is looking to tame a $342,399 increase in the total fiscal 2016 budget without relying heavily on reserves. Officials are looking at new growth, additional state aid and possibly using free cash to fund road repairs to bridge the deficit.
The school budget, up 6 percent or about $145,000, is also being scrutinized.
Lev said town officials "were very clear they need a reduction."
He said the two paraprofessionals have been working one on one with students in foster care. Those children were placed with their father and are no longer in the school. Eliminating those two positions will save $20,000.
"There should not be any effect at this time on the staff," he told the committee.
The $20,000 in so-called "circuit-breaker" funds are reimbursements for expensive special education residential placement. The district has one student in residential placement at a cost of about $91,000. The state reimburses about 40 percent of that in the following year.
"The only way to do the other $40,000 without affecting teachers or programs is by reducing a bus," Lev said.
A lot of parents now drop off and pick up children but the school is still required to have enough buses to accommodate all students in case of emergency. Three buses should be enough, Lev said.
Principal Karen Gallese said the two of the buses are rarely even half full. The likely impact would be about a 15-minute earlier pickup and later dropoff.
Lev said the school will still have about $100,000 in school choice and some reserves for emergencies. He recommended the committee not vote on the final number yet until the town budget numbers are firmer.
"We made some cuts that we felt are appropriate ... we'll continue to be looking at that and any other changes we can make," Lev said. "The budget figure we hope will stay as it is. ... We're trying to keep it tight."
The school has also submitted the proposed composition of a school building committee to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Clarksburg was recently invited into the eligibility stage for developing a plan to renovate or build a new school.
The 19 members include Lev as chairman, incoming Principal Tara Barnes, all three School Committee members (Jeffrey Levanos, Patricia Prenguber, John Solari), Town Administrator Carl McKinney, Finance Committee Chairman Michael Denault, North Adams' purchasing officer Laura Wood (a Clarksburg resident), Head Custodian Michael Peters, Planner Eric Booth, teachers Audrey Witter and Cathy Howe, community members with building experience Edward Denault, Charlie Moran, Gus Giron Jr., Jim Howe and Matt Boyer, Administrative Assistant Mary Giron and Mass in Motion's Amanda Chilson.
In other business, Chilson submitted a wellness policy developed with school input for the committee's review. Chilson, as coordinator for Mass in Motion, has worked with the school to develop healthy eating and related programs.
Lev was asked to have the air quality in the school tested after Gallese and teachers said there were an "odd" number of illnesses. Gallese said, for example, there was a strep throat outbreak in the kindergarten.
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