Bonnanzio returns to School Committee amid budget woes

By Jay Turner

It was a bittersweet return to the School Committee for John Bonnanzio last week as the former two-term member who won election on April 6 was happy to be back serving the children of Canton, yet admittedly saddened by the state of the school budget.

During a brief ceremony at the start of Thursday’s meeting to honor outgoing committee member Dr. Robert Barker, Bonnanzio, who served with Barker from 2002 to 2008, jokingly made a comparison to the film The Great Escape, in which one character rows away to safety while leaving his friend behind.

Bonnanzio, of course, is the one left behind, and while the remark was lighthearted and drew laughter from the audience, it became a little more real as soon as Barker headed for the exits — after nine years of dedicated service no less — and the talk of a $1.375 million budget shortfall got underway.

“I’m so saddened over what is happening after starting to get back on our feet,” said Bonnanzio at one point late in the meeting, referring to the recent $4.5 million Proposition 2 ½ override that was supposed to start the schools down a path of restoration.

Instead, between state aid cuts and skyrocketing special education costs, school officials found themselves barely treading water by FY 2010 and are now fully submerged, according to Superintendent Dr. John D’Auria.

Specifically, D’Auria said the committee — which recently approved a series of cuts and fee hikes amounting to $675,000 — still needs to come up with an additional $700,000 in order to balance next year’s budget. He went on to outline three “possible sources of income” that could lower that figure, but stressed that none of the three are guaranteed at this point.

He said one of the more likely sources would be in the form of “extraordinary relief” from the state, which provides additional funds to school systems whose special education costs increase by more than 25 percent in one year. In addition, D’Auria said the student services department under Alan Dewey has been “working extremely hard” to determine whether certain out-of-district placements could be brought back into the district and is “actively pursuing” this option with eight to ten students.

D’Auria explained that reviews of this nature are conducted all the time; however, he said the addition of a new autism program at Canton High School beginning next year has “opened up some new possibilities” that could end up saving the district thousands in transportation and tuition costs.

Finally, there is the upcoming town meeting, where school officials will try to make a convincing case for more funding while reminding the voters that “every little bit counts.”

To help reinforce the message, School Committee Chairman Reuki Schutt said she plans to read a letter, prepared by K-12 Performing Arts Coordinator Sarah Collmer, that highlights how a seemingly minor reduction in staff could greatly impact a budding program for years to come.

Collmer, who read from the letter Thursday night, would stand to lose a half-time music teacher at the middle school and a part-time elementary position under the current worst-case scenario. In fact, without any additional funding, more than 20 school personnel, including 13 teachers, would be impacted under D’Auria’s latest proposal.

“There is no educational reason to do any of these cuts,” D’Auria said after reviewing his recommendations. “None.”

The superintendent did not stop there, however, adding that the budget situation during his three years in Canton ranks as “one of the most frustrating experiences” of his entire career, in part because he has always considered the school system to be “just short” of the resources it needs to be excellent.

He also criticized himself for not being a better educator in his dealings with the Finance Committee, whose members, he said, continue to focus too much on teacher compensation as the source of the problem.

Claiming that he wants “understanding from the town even more than money,” D’Auria insisted that the recent budget woes have not been a function of mismanagement, but a “function of a whole series of mandates and complexities that simply did not exist 30 or 40 years ago.”

“I don’t think our teachers are overpaid and I’m going to state that publicly … that is not the issue,” he said.

Despite his frustration, D’Auria, who will step down from his post in June, said he was “blessed” as a superintendent to have worked with so many great people, and he praised the School Committee members for their perseverance amid all the fiscal challenges.

“I have a lot of admiration for you and the people who preceded you,” he said.

In other School Committee news:

• The superintendent announced the finalists for the director of student services position, which will oversee the special education department, along with all other types of specialized instruction, after the departure of Assistant Superintendent Alan Dewey this summer.

The finalists are Debra Bromfield, currently the director of special education and the Title 1 director for the Masconomet Regional School District in Topsfield; Deborah Perez, currently the director of special services at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School; and Mary Sullivan Kelley, currently the pupil personnel services coordinator for the Mendon-Upton Regional School District.

• D’Auria announced that the three high school sports that were most in danger of being cut — golf, gymnastics, and swimming — have been “removed from the list with confidence” thanks to some budget-saving measures implemented by Athletic Director Danny Erickson and the generosity of the CHS Athletic Booster Club, which agreed to pay the lease on one of the buses.

• Schutt, who was reelected April 6 to her third three-year term, will continue in her role as chairman for the next 12 months. Cindy Thomas was also elected vice chairman and Liz Salisbury was elected clerk.

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