The School Committee approved the fiscal 2016 budget Wednesday night.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee approved a $59.2 million budget for fiscal 2016 on Wednesday.

 

The 6-1 vote came after little discussion and calls for the city to appropriate $58.5 million to the schools, which is $1.9 million more than last year. The appropriation represents a 3.5 percent increase over last year.

 

Even with the increase, the budget includes reductions of close to $2 million from various areas. The process started with the need for $4 million to maintain service because of a number of increases.

 

"This has been a difficult process," Superintendent Jason McCandless said. "I think we are coming out, in some ways, a better organization and a leaner organization."

 

The key factors leading to increases in the budget include $1.4 million in contractual increases, $1 million increase in special education costs, $370,000 for payments on the new buses, and $550,000 increase for utilities. Coupled with those is a decrease in a kindergarten grant and changes to the federal e-rate program that dropped anticipated revenues by more than $400,000. 

 

"In order to have a level-service budget we still needed $2 million more ... there were some extraordinary expense this year," Mayor Daniel Bianchi said. "It is tough but it is a job we all signed up for. We were elected as responsible adults to make it all balance, make it all work."

 

To close that $2 million gap, school administrators outlined a series of cuts including the reduction of 28 full-time equivalent positions spanning a number of schools and jobs. They include two from administration and technology, an early childhood coordinator, STEM coordinator, humanities coordinators, two from instructional technology and dropping hours of another position in that department, three regular education teachers and two special education teachers at Reid Middle School, two regular education and two special education teachers at Herberg, four teachers at Taconic High School, a paraprofessional from both Conte and Pittsfield High School, one elementary position and three in vocational. 

 

"All of those positions hurt. But we are also looking at some programmatic moves," McCandless had said during a previous budget presentation.

 

Further, the administration proposed cutting $106,281 from the adult education program; $224,327 from the teen parent program tutors; $57,464 from the homebound tutors line; $10,000 from promotional and public relations lines; $12,500 of the contribution to the Focus on Diversity program; $180,000 on special education out-of-district tuition; a technology equipment reduction of $40,000; $25,000 from vocational equipment and supplies; $20,000 from testing; using Title IIA grant to save $250,000; moving a teacher and a paraprofessional to the Title 1 grant program; cutting co-curricular stipends at the four upper schools saving $10,000; and moving one special education position to a grant carryover.

 

McCandless said the cuts came from focusing on the school department's obligations and mission as well as finding community organizations that can pick up the slack. Such is a case with the teen parent program that McCandless announced on Tuesday will be taking a different form through a new partnership with Berkshire Children and Families.

 

"We firmly believe this will not impact families in any way," McCandless said announcing the new partnership and finding a grant to pay for it without impacting the budget. "They are familiar with the city and familiar with the program."

 

Chairwoman Katherine Yon said community organizations and nonprofits can fill some of the gaps caused by the reductions and, in some cases, do a better job than the school system.

 

School Committee member Anthony Riello remembered his time as chief of police during which the department was cut every year. He said that forces leaders to look at the entire organization closer and adapt. In many cases, the department is better for it.

 

"Every year was a cut and every year was a challenge. But, what it does is it forces you to make tough decisions," Riello said. "We have to suck it up and move forward."

 

Committee member Cynthia Taylor, however, felt the cuts were too much. In a statement she read at the beginning of the meeting, she eloquently outlined the importance of the programs on the chopping block — citing teen pregnancy numbers, poverty, drug abuse, and other socioeconomic factors facing the youth in the schools.

 

"Our teachers and staff are literally every day spinning straw into gold," she said. "I vote for our 6,000 students. I can't compromise their education."

 

Taylor said she was "voting her conscience" in voting against the budget "for the right reasons." 

 

While many School Committee members agreed with her statements, others said they support the budget because it is "responsible."

 

"To me, it comes down to sustainability," said Daniel Elias. "I will vote for it. It is very responsible given our financial situation."