School chief: Finances are dire
Cumberland superintendent says requested budget ‘will set us back significantly’ despite $2 million increase
CUMBERLAND – Ordinarily, when introducing his proposed school budget, Superintendent Robert Mitchell might pitch the exciting new things he is hoping to fund.
He might talk about how the use of Chromebooks will aid classroom learning. He might talk about the benefits of bolstered mental health services. He might highlight the need for increased reading and math supports, or for needed capital upgrades.
But not this year. This year, his tone is dire.
“Eliminating the positions required to balance the budget will set us back significantly,” he wrote in a March 9 letter to School Committee Chair Raymond Salvatore, introducing his proposed budget.
Mitchell concluded his letter by saying, “As Superintendent, it is my responsibility to provide all students with an optimal educational experience. I do not believe this budget achieves this goal, however, given these financial constraints, we will strive to continue the good work happening in the Cumberland School District.”
The superintendent last week introduced a $66,040,147 budget, which is $2.147 million increase over the current budget. But Mitchell said it also involves $2 million in reductions from existing line items.
Of that $2.147 million increase, $1 million is solely in the line item for healthcare claims, which have skyrocketed in the past two years. The budget for healthcare claims was $5.029 million in fiscal year 2016 and is $5.618 this year.
Halfway into the current fiscal year, the School Department had already hit 61 percent of its budget for healthcare claims. School Business Manager Alex Prignano attributes this to the pension reform of a few years ago, which means teachers are retiring later in life – and later in life, there are often more health concerns.
Other increases over the current year include contractual salary raises, along with district-wide technology positions and services, curriculum coordinators, and Chromebooks at North Cumberland Middle School.
On the administrative level, salaries are remaining the same for all principals, except the positions at Cumberland Hill and B.F. Norton, which are seeing decreases. There are also salary freezes for the superintendent, assistant superintendent, human resources director, business manager and School Committee members.
The budget includes a number of staff cuts.
The budget cuts both social workers in the district, one at North Cumberland and one at Cumberland High School.
The ESL/ELL intervention staff is being cut at all five elementary schools, along with McCourt Middle School. Prignano said the idea is to move all students to John J. McLaughlin Cumberland Hill School for ELL.
School Committee Chair Raymond Salvatore noted that 13 of the 26 teaching assistant positions are being cut, representing a $535,000 cut in the budget. He added that 5.5 interventionists are being eliminated, including the math interventionists at both middle schools.
School Committee member Karen Freedman teared up at last week’s meeting as she said, “This is heartbreaking, and I hope that the attendance we have tonight is an indication of the support we have.”
School Committee member Paul DiModica added, “We’re at the bottom of the barrel and we’ve known it for years, and not a lot’s been done about setting up a plan to resolve it.”
As school administrators and officials are quick to point out, Cumberland has the lowest perpupil spending of any public school district in the state.
In order to close a budget gap of approximately $5.6 million, Mitchell has recommended a threepronged approach. The first involves the $2 million in cuts, many of which are certified and non-certified personnel.
The second is to get a 4 percent increase in town appropriation, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the budget. The third is to get relief from charter school tuitions.
Murray said earlier this month that he has no position on the 4 percent ask until he sees the “firm budget.” Last year, the School Department asked for a $1.364 million increase in local appropriation and ended up with $1.022 million more from the town.
Prignano noted that while the School Department cannot ask for more than a 4 percent increase from the town, “there’s nothing that pro- hibits the town from giving us more than 4 percent.”
The School Committee is currently reviewing the budget. According to a budget timeline on the Cumberland School Department website, the School Department must submit its estimates for capital and operating expenditures to the town finance director by April 3.
Finance Director Jason Parmelee must submit his recommendations to Mayor Bill Murray by April 17, and the mayor must submit his budget to the Town Council by May 8. Murray can change the total amount of the school budget but not any particular line item.
The Town Council will have two public hearings on the budget between May 8 and June 5, and it must vote on the budget by June 12. Over the summer, the School Department must reconcile the budget to reflect the amount the town chooses to allocate.
The proposed budget, letter from Mitchell to Salvatore, and budget timeline can be viewed at cumberland schools. org/ content/ budgetin formation -2017-2018. Follow Erica Moser on Twitter @Erica_Faith13