School officials not satisfied with budget allotment
By Mike BergerCanton school officials are not satisfied with the latest recommendations of the town’s Revenue Forecast Committee, which set a target of $34.52 million for the FY15 operating budget — some $811,000 below the School Committee’s preliminary proposal of $35.33 million submitted in late January.
The consensus among School Committee members and Superintendent Jeff Granatino was that the recommended figure gives the School Department little room to grow, especially with new state mandates and rising special needs costs.
The committee plans to outline its challenges in a formal presentation to the Finance Committee this month, and if necessary, present two budgets to town meeting voters in May.
The Revenue Committee, made up of Finance Director Jim Murgia, Town Administrator Bill Friel, and FinCom Chairman Mark Porter, met recently and recalculated school and municipal budget forecasts after reading the governor’s proposal for local aid. The Revenue Committee originally gave the schools an additional $1.2 million, but of that amount, $1 million is earmarked for contractual obligations.
Granatino and the School Committee believe they need an additional $348,000 just for program enhancements that they feel are “vital, if not mandatory.”
“There are a substantial amount of other enhancements that are important for the continued growth and development of the district’s learning environments and for us to better meet the needs of our students,” Granatino added.
The committee is also grappling with a deficit in the special needs accounts, which currently stands at nearly $1 million. However, most, if not all of that figure is expected to be covered by state circuit breaker funding, which kicks in at the end of the school year.
Looking ahead to next year, school business manager Ken Leon has projected a special needs deficit of $374,000. Leon said the schools still have approximately $263,000 left over from the previous budget year that it could put toward the deficit or use for additional programs. The town also has $80,000 in a Special Needs Stabilization Fund that was established by voters at the 2012 town meeting.
Leon, who attended the Revenue Committee meeting, said there could be more state aid funds coming to Canton, although the amounts would not be known for at least a few months.
In other news from the February 26 meeting, Janet Donnelly, nurse leader for the Canton Public Schools and head of the School Wellness Advisory Committee (SWAC), gave an update on health and wellness activities throughout the district. SWAC, which has previously advised the School Committee on topics ranging from concussions to anti-bullying policies to state nutritional standards, is now analyzing body mass index (BMI) for students in grades 1, 4, 7, and 10. Donnelly said the BMI data for Canton has remained steady and has even dropped in some cases. She said that BMI rates have declined nationally for children ages 2-5 due in part to an increase in breast feeding.
Donnelly said SWAC has helped to inform parents and school staff about the state nutritional standards for snacks and has worked with Food Services Director Martha Lawless on developing the new breakfast programs at CHS, the Galvin Middle School, and now the Hansen School. The committee has also been an active supporter of the BOKS before-school fitness program, which is now being offered at all three elementary schools.
See page 8 of this week’s Canton Citizen for more School Department news.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=24528
Posted by Mike Berger
on Mar 6 2014. Filed under News, Schools.
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