School Committee to Discuss Proposed FY14 Budget Increase of $927,000

Tonight the Medfield School Committee will discuss the proposed budget for the FY14 school year.

The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. in the MedfieldTV Production Classroom at Medfield High School. The school department's budget makes up approximately half of the town's overall budget. 

School Superintendent Robert Maguire, who will retire in June, has recommended a 3.38 percent increase totalling $927,326, the bulk of which -- $860,000 -- is related to personnel increases. 

Maguire told the School Committee at its Jan. 14 meeting that 80 percent of the district's budget is personnel costs. 

Maguire explained that another $60,000 of the proposed increase is related to expansion of the iPad pilot program and its associated professional development costs; and another $5,000 or $6,000 is related to the "in and out staff changes" due to decreased enrollment and costs associated with ongoing initiatives particularly those in the language department.

The increase for the FY13 school budget was less than one percent.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The public participation portion of the meeting begins at 8:40 p.m. 

The agenda includes:

• 7:30 p.m. - Reconvene Open Meeting in TV Production Classroom
• 7:31 p.m. - FY14 Budget Recommendation
• 8:00 p.m. - Superintendent Search
• 8:10 p.m. - FY13 Budget Update
• 8:20 p.m. - 2013-2014 School Calendar draft
• 8:30 p.m. - Capital Budget
• 8:40 p.m. - Public Participation
• 8:50 p.m. - School Committee Minutes including Oct. 15 (regular meeting and executive session) and Nov. 19 (regular meeting and executive session)
• 9:00 p.m. - Information Sharing/Other 

The meeting will be preceded by a 7 p.m. executive session where contract negotiations will be discussed.