McCandless Rebuts Critics To Start Budget Process
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Superintendent Jason McCandless is kicking off the budget season by addressing three of the most criticized items: school choice, per-pupil expenditures, and teacher salaries.
In comparing those items to other districts in the county, McCandless says Pittsfield is right in line, if not better, than the city's peers. The districts ranks 10th out of 16 local districts in teacher salaries, sends a lower percentage of students to other districts through school choice than many others, and spends less per pupil than the county average.
In Pittsfield, the district spent some $31.2 million on teachers in 2013 and 2014. According to the Department of Education, that is an average salary of $64,762.
"That's a salary that a lot of people would gladly work for. But again, these are people who invested in bachelor's degrees and invested in master's degrees," McCandless told the School Committee on Wednesday night.
Pittsfield ranks 10th behind Williamstown, which has an average teacher salary of $73,965; Mount Greylock at $73,305; Adams-Cheshire at $71,398; Berkshire Hills at $70,789; Lenox at $70,541; McCann Technical at $70,022; Central Berkshire at $66,942; Southern Berkshire at $65,182; and Richmond at $64,891.
Only Lee, Clarksburg, Lanesborough, North Adams, Farmington River, and Florida pay less per teacher. Those average salaries are $62,936; $62,654; $60,842; $57,036; $49,478, and $39,762.
"This body and our administration work very hard to do this in a fiscally appropriate way," McCandless said.
He added that in the recently signed teacher's contract, the city has a longer ladder to make it to the top of the scale than any other district and it evens out each step — which previously gave different percentages to different levels in the scale. Now, there are 19 steps for teachers to climb to get to the highest salary and each step is worth 3 percent.
"Three percent is nothing to sneeze at. It is a good increase but it brought the average increase down from previous contracts," McCandless said, saying that the new contract will cost the district thousands of dollars less in salaries.
To get to the top salary, Pittsfield teachers have to put in more years than teachers in other districts.
"In Pittsfield, you are here for a while. You prove you are for Pittsfield to get there," McCandless said.
Meanwhile, of the 11 districts with more than 200 students in Berkshire County, Pittsfield ranks third in the lowest percentage of students opting to go to other districts. In total the district sends some $2.5 million to other schools for choice while bringing in only $500,000.
"The dollar amount is high but it is because we have 6,000 kids," McCandless said.
There are 6,461 school-aged children in Pittsfield and 5,619 students go to city schools — meaning 13 percent of families opt for either home schooling, charter school, or another district.
Removing the home school numbers, only 8.23 percent of students choice out.
Only Dalton and Great Barrington send a lower percentage of students to other districts, McCandless said, with percentages of 6.44 and 8.21 respectfully. Lenox sends 8.91 percent; Hinsdale sends 10.32 percent; Sheffield sends 10.44 percent; Lee sends 12.02 percent; Adams sends 16.2 percent; North Adams 19.2 percent; Cheshire 19.68 percent; and Becket 35.5 percent.
"There are communities where more than a quarter of their children opt not to go to their public schools," McCandless said. "We're not standing there with a big target on us being the league leader in this."
The school choice figures are a point of concern for School Committee member Daniel Elias, who said the district needs to do more to keep its students here. He pointed to recent open houses at the high schools that saw poor attendance as an area that with a little marketing could show families what the district has to offer.
"There is a percentage of students we can't do anything about because of circumstances. But there are some we can and must get back," Elias said.
Despite showing positive numbers for Pittsfield, McCandless agrees with Elias that the district can do more to keep families from leaving.
"It is a financial loss. It is a loss of spirit. To some degree it divides neighborhoods," the superintendent said. "It remains a huge problem even it is 20 families. We would like to know what we could have done differently to keep them here."
Mayor Linda Tyer said she'd advocate against school choice on the state level. She said the numbers are "devastating to gateway communities."
Further, McCandless said the city spends $13,755 per pupil, which is nearly $1,000 less than the county average of $14,580. Of those 16 districts he compared, Pittsfield spent more per pupil than just Adams-Cheshire Regional School District and Clarksburg, which spent $12,990 and $13,683, respectively.
"We're also not the league leaders in Berkshire County. We are not a bunch of Daddy Warbucks throwing money around," he said.
Recently, the principals of the 12 city schools presented their budget requests to the School Committee. Fulfilling those requests would cost the district an additional $3 million over this year. Those requests didn't account for contractual agreements nor did they account for repairs to buildings.
Last year, the department started with some $4 million in needs, including contractual obligations. That number was reduced to a $1.9 million increase, which was 3.5 percent more than the year before.
McCandless has been meeting with others in the district with requests and starting to craft a preliminary budget. The budget has to be passed by May 1. One point of good news for the administration is that Gov. Charlie Baker released a budget that if approved by the Legislature would give the city a $122,000 increase in state support for education.
The superintendent says he filters all requests through two criteria: what is needed for teachers to work in the classroom and what the district is legally and morally responsible to provide.
"What happens in individual classrooms are the only reason schools and school districts exist," he said.
Major factors in the classroom work includes safety, instruction, teacher training, evaluation of staff, class sizes, course variety, discipline, textbooks and technology, maintenance, and keeping a comfortable and inviting learning environment. The next step is to look at the "dozens of bureaucratic" requirements imposed by state and federal regulators. Those include testing and accountability, 504 plans, and others.
Last year to close that $2 million gap, the district cut numerous programs including adult education, teen parenting, and homebound tutors. The district sought out community partners like Child Care of the Berkshires to take on those services.
"They are doing a better job of doing that for less money that we were doing," McCandless said.
The superintendent is expected to have to find more alternatives or areas the district can live without to create a budget city officials will approve.
"We are not cutting nice things anymore," McCandless said. "Everything we cut, we are choosing between things that are vital."
Tags: #PittsfieldBudget, fiscal 2017, Pittsfield School Committee,
