School Committee Votes to Reduce FY12 Budget Proposal by $260K

The Medfield School Committee voted to reduce its fiscal year 2012 budget proposal by $260,000 at its March 21 meeting after school administrators met with the Warrant Committee on March 15.

“What [the Warrant Committee] requested is that we find a way to assist them in bringing the potential budget override figure down into the neighborhood of about half a million dollars,” said Bob Maguire, Superintendent of Schools. “To achieve that, they indicated they would like the committee and administration to consider a reduction in the neighborhood of $260,000 from our current budget request.”

After meeting with Charles Kellner, director of finance and operations for Medfield Public Schools following the Warrant Committee meeting, Maguire presented to the school committee his recommended budget reductions:

• Eliminate Purchase of Point-of Sale System for a savings of $22,595. Maguire said: “Basically [the $22,595] is the startup cost and equipment cost for software to install a system that would create efficiencies and operations for tracking all cafeteria systems and processes.”
• Eliminate Installation of Soundproofing at the High School Music Room for a savings of $26,349. Maguire said: “I had mentioned previously that this is an area we would like to improve in terms of the sound-deadening quality of the facility.”
• Teaching Salaries, resulting from two recent requests for leaves of absence for 2011-2012 that were approved by Maguire for a savings of $50,435. Maguire said: “As a result of two recent requests from teachers. One is a medical leave of absence from a teacher and that was a surprise. I just approved both of these [March 21] and the estimated savings is $50,435."
• Special Education Tuition, resulting from additional information being available regarding anticipated changes/additions/eliminations of placements for a savings of $27,910. Maguire said: “We’ve been able to track over the last 30 days what’s been happening in terms of special education costs. At this point, we are seeing changes that are both potential beneficial to cost and some instances that are additive. At this point, we believe we can achieve $27,910 in savings in the special education tuition.”
• Instructional Hardware for a savings of $23, 551. Maguire said: “That will come primarily out of the amount of interactive white boards that we will deploy. This number would reduce the deployment slightly.”
• More from Instructional Hardware as funds will be made available through the Town in the current fiscal year for purchases for a savings of $109,360. Maguire said: “This would come out of next year’s purchasing for that equipment but we would be allowed this year under the agreement with the town administrator as well as the Warrant Committee. We worked out an agreement where we would be able to spend funds in the current year before the books closed.”

The approved reductions bring the proposed FY12 school budget to $27,162,358 or a 3.04 percent increase over the current fiscal year; a figure the Warrant Committee recommends for its Warrant at the 2011 Annual Town Meeting.

“[The Warrant Committee] was really supportive of everything we wanted to do,” said Chris Morrison, school committee financial secretary. “[For the Warrant Committee to] support the efforts moving forward and look for half a million dollars frankly that we don’t have right now is incredibly important to us.”

Maguire was also appreciative of the Warrant Committee’s efforts in what has been a difficult process for everyone involved due to the current state of the economy.

“[The Warrant Committee] were very complimentary of our efforts in putting the budget together this year,” Maguire said. “They were very much supportive in their comments regarding all the difficulty we have struggled through with the economy. With the issues that the town is facing, we are appreciative of their efforts.”

Maguire pointed out while this was “a step in the right direction,” there are still “serious issues” the school committee faces regarding its FY12 budget proposal.

“We need to go to Town Meeting and we need to convince the tax payers that somewhere in the neighborhood of a half a million dollar override is worthwhile and supportable in a difficult economic environment and we would need to win a separate ballot question,” Maguire said.

Maguire was pleased with the solution to move forward with these reductions because it kept the “vast majority of the committee’s goals in terms of what the budget will allow the department to do next year.”

“It allows us to maintain programs and maintain staff,” he said.

Tim Bonfatti, school committee chair, said it’s the combined efforts of all the departments involved that make Medfield the town it is.

“It’s sort of how we have been trying to do business in this town for the last 10 years or so,” he said. “Trying to work collaboratively all across the departments, recognizing that it’s one town, not two different budgets. I think it’s a continuation and reflection of that collaboration that I am certainly in support of.”

The 2011 Medfield Town Meeting is scheduled for April 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Medfield High School gymnasium.