Chief wants spending bump of 2.34 percent

PORTLAND — As the Board of Education sat down this week for the first meeting of the New Year, there was a spirit of conviviality in the air.

There were warm greetings between the various board members and a hearty wish for a “Happy New Year!” from Superintendent of Schools Philip B. O’Reilly. But there was also another less-welcoming specter lurking in the room: the approximately $800,000 shortfall in state aid to the town.

That is the money excised by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as the state lurched through its nine-month-long effort to adopt a budget.

O’Reilly, with schools business manager Ann Burke, used the board meeting to present his proposed 2018-19 school budget. He is seeking $21.16 million, an increase of $483,000, or 2.34 percent, over the current year’s education spending.

In a letter that accompanied the proposed budget, O’Reilly said the proposal “sustains our efforts to meet the far-reaching goals outlined in Portland Public Schools teaching and learning priorities.”

At the same time, however, O’Reilly said, “We recognize the limitations of a strained state budget and as a result, the budget contains no new teaching or staff positions.”

His budget eliminates two full-time equivalent positions in the elementary grades and reduces paraprofessional positions by two.

The budget does include “a modest investment in technology as well as wifi infrastructure improvements in the secondary schools.”

In closing, O’Reilly called upon the school board to “continue to work with me as we strive to meet the escalating demands of wellinformed 21st-century citizenry.”

His budget “reflects my determination to move us forward,” O’Reilly said.

“I remain steadfast in my commitment to the board of education and the people of this great town so that our students will emerge from our secondary schools with the skills and enhanced talents necessary to continue their lifelong learning endeavors.

“I am grateful for the ongoing financial support for our five schools and will continue to work to judiciously manager our town’s precious resources,” O’Reilly said in conclusion.

Burke then reviewed the individual components of the budget with board members.

As she did, O’Reilly explained the 2.34 percent increase did not arrive already hatched. Instead, O’Reilly said, he and Burke reviewed eight iterations of the proposal budget over the past three months before bringing forward their request this week.

And, he said, as the school board moves forward, it will have to come to grips with the specter of the reduction in state aid.

O’Reilly said he has worked with First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield and Director of Finance Tom E. Robinson to address what he acknowledged is “a complicated issue.”

Board Chairwoman MaryAnn Rode said O’Reilly “has juggled around staff so we don’t have to have new hires.”

But, Rode added, “Our next step is to dig deeper.”

O’Reilly agreed. “This is status quo,” he said gesturing to his budget request. “But do we have to go deeper than status quo? I’m afraid it’s inevitable that we will have to look at some additional reductions from this budget,” he said.

O’Reilly said he was being “responsible” in asking the board to consider a zero-increase in the budget. “We have an obligation to at least explore it,” he said.

“If we’re going to cut deeper, we’ve got to know what we are prepared to sacrifice,” Rode said. “We definitely should be looking at things that we can do without,” she continued. “Everything has to be on the table.”

Inevitably, there were calls for closing a facility, possibly the Brownstone Intermediate School. O’Reilly and Rode said that issue had previously been visited and was rejected by residents.

What’s more, Rode said that would just shift the cost of maintenance and upkeep of the school to the town.

Board member Dave Murphy was unpersuaded, however. “Sell Brownstone. Just sell it,” he said.

Instead, Rode suggested the board review the possibility of increasing class size.

She asked her colleagues to develop other ideas before the board meets again Tuesday to continue their discussions.