Williamstown Parents Unhappy with School Budget Cuts
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"Unless a miracle occurs, we are going to have to ask the town for an override next year," said Chairman David Backus. "We need to show the town we've done everything we can."
While voters passed a Proposition 2 1/2 override in 2004, they rejected one in 2005, forcing the school to cut $120,000.
School officials say declining enrollment and revenues, has lead to leaner budgets with little fat left to cut. Next year's $6.1 million budget is depending on Gov. Deval Patrick's pledge to level fund Chapter 70 education aid, but that, said Superintendent Rose Ellis, is a "wild card" until the Legislature's budget is set.
"The end game is July," she said. "A lot can happen until then."
The elementary school expects to lose three teachers by eliminating one section each of kindergarten, fifth grade and sixth grade; a kindergarten, three sixth-grade and two other paraprofessionals, and a 20 percent reduction in hours of a library position for a total savings of $211,000.
  Superintendent Rose Ellis explains a budget item; left, School Committee members Margaret McComish and David Backus. Below, two women keep busy at the meeting. |
Ellis gave an overview of the budget, the areas of reduction and how those reductions affected the school and staff.
She said more than $90,000 in savings had been made through the school's union with Lanesborough earlier this year, along with expected reductions in legal costs because contract negotiations were winding up. The teachers' association agreed to increase its members premium split to 25 percent, up from 20 percent and in line with the rest of the town's employees.
However, the health costs are still up $45,000 for the district, and 5.2 percent overall for the town, and contracted wages for instructional staff is increasing $210,000, or 6.7 percent.
But the 60-odd residents who attended the public hearing on the budget in the school auditorium were not convinced that school officials had searched every nook and cranny for savings. They were also concerned by rumors that the school's art and music offerings were about to be cut.
Several suggested that the administration was top heavy and should reduce hours or cut their wages rather than sacrifice teaching positions; others expressed concern over increases in the teacher/student ratio because of reduction in grade sections.
Ellis and Principal Stephen Johnson said they were aware of the class sizes and had ways to deal with them. Johnson said he had spoken with faculty about the possibility that art and music could be affected as a way to keep them informed. Nothing had been decided yet, he said.
Many of the questions asked by the audience had already been answered by the committee over years of putting tight budgets together, such as searching for savings in energy, insurance and transportation. Others asked how they could help in lobbying for grants or planning school benefits.
Ellis suggested getting in touch with local lawmakers to impress upon them the difficulties the school was having. Backus encouraged residents to attend town meeting to vote to return $114,000 in special education funds back to the school district after state auditors moved it the town's free cash account last summer.
"It may be news to you," Backus told the crowd, "but we've known for years we're in dire times."
The town Finance Committee will review the budget on March 26; the School Committee expects to approve it April 8.
