Berkshire School Districts to Receive Stimulus Help
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Last week, Pittfield school administrators said they would freeze their pay and urged the school district's seven unions to agree to forgo wage increases, according to The Berkshire Eagle. The district may end this fiscal year in the red and is facing potential losses of nearly $3 million in grant reductions. The school's budget is about $49 million.
Clarksburg will get $142,956 and Florida, $49,599. Both schools were facing budget cuts. Four other Berkshire school districts are among the 166 that will be receiving federal stimulus funding. Adams-Cheshire, on the other hand, which is facing a $1.4 million budget gap is getting a total of $30.
Berkshire County schools are expected to receive another $8 million in spending.
None reach the levels of some of the bigger districts in the state. Springfield, for instance, is in line to get $13 million, Worcester $14 million.
While many of the districts may see the injection of money as a way to stave off waves of teacher layoffs and prevent programs from eliminated, Mitchell D. Chester, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, cautioned that the funding had to align to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act goals.
| Adams-Cheshire | $30 |
| Clarksburg | $142,956 |
| Central Berkshire | $11,438 |
| Florida | $49,599 |
| Northern Berkshire | $111,457 |
| Pittsfield | $2,137,112 |
| Savoy | $7,387 |
The funding must be used for job retention and creation, applied toward student achievement, managed in a transparent manner and utilized with the realization that the funding is temporary.
Chester is asking districts to use half their funding on strategic investments that will further student progress and that "will provide ongoing benefits and/or cost savings beyond the expiration of ARRA funding."
The money is being disbursed to those schools unable to reach foundation funding, the amount determined for an average school system to adequately educate its children. Part of the state's education reform, the foundation level is determined by a complex calculation that includes enrollment and educational categories and reached through property taxes and Chapter 70 education aid.
Gov. Deval Patrick's fiscal 2010 budget level-funded Chapter 70 at nearly $4 billion, but the significant drop-off in state revenue collections because of the recession is expected to prevent 166 districts from reaching foundation spending levels next year.
If the governor's Chapter 70 proposal is approved by the Legislature, dedicating a portion of the state's estimated $1.88 billion for education programs from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will guarantee foundation-level funding for all districts, according to the governor's offic.
"It is vitally important that we apply the federal stabilization funds to restore adequate operating budgets at the elementary and secondary education levels," said Education Secretary Paul Reville. "We have made much progress on education reform initiatives and our students are achieving at higher levels every year. These funds will allow us to continue to build on our success and more fully prepare all students to reach their full potential."
The districts in line to receive ARRA education funding can be found here.
