WEST NEWBURY — The Pentucket Regional School District needs around $439,000 to maintain the same level of services next school year.
Pentucket Superintendent Paul Livingston presented his version of a $35.5 million spending plan for the coming school year at a public hearing Tuesday night. About 30 people attended the 11/2 hour discussion.
The shortfall is what remains after Livingston whittled down an initial $2.5 million difference between what was spent this year ($32.8 million) and what his administrative team needs for next year.
If the $439,000 gap is met — most likely with a tax override — and state aid remains level-funded, Groveland could see an increased assessment of around $383,000, Merrimac, $381,000, and West Newbury, $420,000.
If the school board decides to address the gap with cuts to the budget, assessments would go up by around $182,000, $185,000 and $286,000 respectively, Livingston estimated.
In a budget that is 80 percent salaries, a reduction of this magnitude likely means a cut of seven full-time equivalent teaching positions.
Livingston started his presentation by noting that several major budget drivers are now well controlled. Contracts for personnel negotiated last year have salary increases of 11/2 percent or less. More special education students are getting their needs met in district with fewer requiring costly out-of-district placements. Green Repair projects under way at the elementary schools and a switch to natural gas at the secondary level mean lower projected fuel costs and other energy savings.
Health insurance costs are trending downward, too. A 13 percent increase anticipated last December wound up at 3.88 percent; and a recently negotiated bus contract came in $50,000 less than anticipated.
Of the original shortfall, $625,000 represents borrowing for Green Repair projects that the towns have already approved. Because the projects tap state and federal funds, the school district must provide fiscal oversight, which is why the expense has to be accounted for within the school budget, even though each individual town is managing and paying for its own elementary school building project.
For two years Pentucket received $415,000 from a Federal Jobs grant — another hole that must be filled next year because the initiative has ended.
Livingston is seeking just $180,000 for programmatic growth. He wants to add two positions to Central Office — a one full-time administrative assistant for $45,000 and a part-time accounts payable position for $20,000. Currently the superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager share one administrative assistant.
With a new superintendent and business manager coming on board next year, and several building projects that require extra monitoring, Livingston believes these two additions are necessary. "You don't want to set someone up for complete failure," he said.
Funding the capacity of teachers to use technology to improve instruction is a priority, Livingston argued. A $115,000 increase would allow one teacher on each team or grade level to receive coaching and professional development technology usage. They would be responsible for finding ways to infuse technology into the curriculum relevant to their grade level or department.
Groveland's Joe D'Amore called Livingston's programming requests "the shortest wish list" he's ever seen. But given the outstanding budget gap, he asked the district's principals to describe how, in a "worst case scenario," they would recommend cutting to keep things in the black.
"I wouldn't cut anything," responded high school Principal Jonathan Seymour. "We've been through this before." Seymour noted that in the past few years, the high school has lost 12 teaching positions and $300,000 in funding for materials and supplies. Because of repeated cuts to the budget, too many students are now in study halls when their time would be more productively spent inside classrooms, he said.
"There's no frills in these buildings," agreed Jill Eichhorst of West Newbury. Merrimac's Todd Treado asked for an updated list of all teaching cuts made in recent years.
Treado objected to a suggestion by student representative Danny Sullivan that money could be saved by having motivated students pursue AP courses through independent study instead of running separate classes for them.
"I would not cut any AP courses under any circumstances. We are not here to provide a minimum education. We're here to provide the best education that we can," said Treado.
Sullivan, who sat for the first time on the committee on Tuesday, also suggested having tech-savvy students receive community service credits for offering professional development in technology for teachers.
Ann Crowell of the Merrimac Finance Committee urged the school board to make compromises. She said the sense in her town is that "every year the schools ask for the world."
"Nobody likes to ask the towns for more money — but what's the right decision for our students?" Livingston said.
The school board meets next on Monday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in the middle school cafeteria. It hopes to adopt a budget at its Feb. 28 meeting.
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