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02/08/2021 11:00 PMAfter delaying its vote for a week in response to significant input from the community around a handful of issues and items, the Board of Education (BOE) approved its proposed 2021-’22 budget unanimously at a 1.49 percent increase, sending it to the Board of Finance (BOF) for review next week before it move to the public.
The BOF will have a chance to make reductions to the $62,445,900 total budget, a $917,441 increase over last year, as it considers both the school and town budgets in a year that will be defined by the pandemic and much hoped-for economic recovery as vaccines are distributed across the country.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman has characterized this year’s budget as the “most conservative” ever presented to the BOE, with the understanding that students’ health—particularly mental health—would remain a priority despite the fiscal restraint.
There was also an adjustment based on what Freeman called a calculation error over teacher’s salaries, which added $34,000 to the total budget, bumping the initial increase from 1.49 to 1.55.
The increases were offset by eliminating an artist-in-residence program at $10,000, a $9,000 increase to projected retirement savings, and finally, a decrease in pension contributions by a little more than $40,000, which was suggested already by the district’s actuary, according to BOE member Ted Sands.
Freeman said the new retirement savings was a “conservative” estimate based on the historical trend of long-tenured teachers retiring and being replaced by staff at a lower salary level.
BOE Chair Katie Balestracci opened budget conversations on Feb. 8 reading a statement that attempted to assure the community members that the BOE had been listening to their concerns.
Among the items that drew large community interest—a swap of art teacher and world language teaching staff at the elementary level, an equity administrative position, funding certain sports teams, and the cutting of a music teacher at Adams Middle School—the music teacher saw the most passionate response, with dozens of residents at two public hearings calling for a reversal of the cut.
Speakers focused on the long-time excellence and reputation of the district’s music program and the potential that losing a position could cause harm not only at Adams but also decrease student engagement and specialization opportunities at the high school level as well. Freeman had emphasized that the loss of the position would not result in the elimination of any classes or programs.
Eventually, the BOE chose to support a compromise, cutting half of a full-time teaching job instead of the full position, with a suggestion it might finish eliminating the position next year.
BOE member Amy Sullivan proposed the change at the beginning of the budget discussions on Feb. 8, calling it a “phased” approach to responding to the enrollment drops that school staff have said precipitated the cut.
“The proposed change definitely weighs on my mind because I know we’re going to have more difficult decisions in future budgets related to decreasing enrollment,” she said.
BOE member Moira Rader offered her support to this idea, citing Baldwin students who would have missed out almost an entire year of music education to the pandemic, only to move to another school with a reduced music staff.
Another member, John Dellaventura, echoed some of the concerns expressed by community members in his support, saying that losing the position could have a chilling effect on aspiring musicians both in the years before and the years after their time at Adams.
“I hope the folks that spoke out would likewise find this to be a good compromise,” added BOE member Kristin Peck, “so much so that they would feel comfortable getting behind this budget, which is ultimately what we need everyone in this town to do.”
Sands took a moment to caution that the BOF could request further cuts to the budget, and that its final approval still depended on voters.
Balestracci made sure to offer her support for Freeman, and while supporting the half-position compromise herself, lauded district staff members for their work on the budget in the face of economic hardship.
“I am incredibly appreciative of an administration and a district leadership team that is willing to look so carefully and make these difficult decisions...and really recognizing the multiple responsibilities that we have,” Balestracci said.
Freeman said the plan to do a phase-out of the music position “made a world of sense,” and was not unprecedented. He promised again that neither the full elimination nor the half-position would decrease programs or contact time with students.
“A good budget, a reasonable budget, a responsible budget is full of hard decisions, and making those decisions should be hard,” Freeman said. “I want to thank the community for their participation in this process, and for making these decisions difficult decisions to make. Weighty decisions don’t come easily, and I want to thank the board members for the time and the energy and the listening they put into this budget.”
The BOF will consider both town and school budgets on Thursday, Feb. 18.