School supt. outlines $46.9M budget for FY 2021

By Mike Berger

Delivering on a request for an earlier than usual budget message, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Fischer-Mueller last week outlined her $46.913 million spending plan for the Canton Public Schools for the next fiscal year.

The proposed FY21 operating budget, which she presented in detail at the November 21 School Committee meeting, calls for a 6.34 percent increase over the current year’s budget of $44.114 million. Of the roughly $2.8 million in proposed new spending, $1.76 million is to cover contractual obligations while the remaining $1.037 million — plus another $73,561 from a staff reduction — would go toward the hiring of new faculty/staff and the purchase of new supplies and services.

Including the staff reduction — a JFK second grade teaching position deemed no longer necessary due to class size projections — the superintendent’s budget proposes a net increase of 13.4 full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions. These include four new full-time and two new part-time teachers at the Galvin Middle School; a new PreK-5 humanities coordinator; a full-time district data specialist and full-time elementary technology specialist; and three new nursing positions (2.8 FTE). Other proposed new hires include two floating bus monitors, a full-time administrative assistant for the Office of Teaching & Learning, a part-time district English language teacher, two part-time GMS lunch aides, and a part-time CHS technology teacher.

In the category of new supplies and services, Fischer-Mueller has recommended spending roughly $47,000 for CHS and GMS world language instructional materials, $30,000 for elementary supplies and materials, $30,000 for summer curriculum work, $16,000 to support GMS athletics (starting with a new cross country program), and $13,500 for GMS professional development. Funds have also been earmarked for CHS and GMS visual art supplies, the GMS math team, AP Psychology and AP Biology ebooks, CHS English novels, and supplies for the CHS Life After Canton course.

In keeping with the School Committee’s budget guidelines, Fischer-Mueller also classified the proposed new spending into four categories based on the long-term objectives of the district’s Strategic Framework: Achieving Educational Excellence & Ensuring Equity; Cultivating School Climate and Culture; Transforming Teaching and Learning; and Achieving District Excellence. She then further classified each item based on the scale of need, ranging from legally mandated/contractually obligated to “quality enhancements.”

During her budget presentation, Fischer-Mueller shared an assortment of historical and comparative data points, including where the district ranks in relation to 11 other neighboring towns on per-pupil spending (9th), average teacher salary (6th), and administration and instructional leadership spending (12th). In the latter category, Canton again fell well below the state average — $1,306 compared to $1,608 for FY18, the most recent year that data was available.

Fischer-Muller has mentioned this discrepancy before and last year added a PreK-5 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) coordinator. In addition to proposing a new PreK-5 humanities coordinator for FY21, Fischer-Muller still hopes to find a replacement for departing Assistant Superintendent Pat Kinsella while also hopefully adding an out-of-district special education coordinator, a job now being done by Student Services Director Deb Bromfield.

While a 6 percent increase is on the high side compared to recent annual increases, Canton could also potentially receive a funding boost from the state via the Student Opportunity Act, which is awaiting the governor’s signature. The landmark bill is set to make a $1.5 billion investment in Massachusetts public education (up to $2.2 billion assuming inflation) and significantly helps school districts that serve a high percentage of low-income students. Nectow said for the Canton Public Schools, that could mean more money for special education and transportation and potentially more funding for Canton’s long-term building plans, including a proposed renovation of the Galvin Middle School. Canton has re-applied to the Mass. School Building Authority for funding of the GMS project and expects to hear a decision by next month.

The School Committee is expected to review the superintendent’s budget over the next two weeks and will vote on a preliminary recommendation at its December 19 meeting. New Finance Director William Scollins, the Finance Committee, and the Revenue Forecast Committee will then await the submission of the governor’s budget and projections for state aid before setting budget figures on or around January 31 …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the November 22 School Committee meeting. Not a subscriber? Click here to order your subscription today (also available in digital form).

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