BUDGET DEBATE TO START

UPDATE FROM STEVE STYCOS JANUARY 20, 2007

BUDGET DEBATE TO START

Monday night, a tough budget season will start for the Cranston schools. Assuming Superintendent Richard Scherza does not propose harmful cuts (an optimistic assumption) my top priority will be trying to add additional teachers at the high schools to lower class size.

Scherza will present his proposed school budget Monday January 22, 2007 at 7 PM at Western Hills Middle School. That meeting will be followed by budget hearings January 31 and if necessary, February 5. Then February 12, the school committee will vote on budget amendments and pass a final budget. All the meetings will begin at 7PM at Western Hills. The public will be invited to speak at the beginning of the January 31, February 5 and 12 meetings. According to school committee rules, public speakers are limited to three minutes, but may request an additional two minutes. Public speakers do not have to sign up in advance. After the public speaks, the school committee will ask questions about the budget.

Last year the school committee decided to close Horton Elementary School during this portion of the budget process. It also decided to add $10,000 for the high school bands and $20,000 for a girls hockey team.

Following school committee adoption February 12, the budget will be sent to the mayor who typically cuts the bottom line and sends his budget to the city council by April 1. The council then holds public hearings and passes a city budget, including a final bottom line for the schools, by May 15.

Perhaps the least scrutinized, and most important, portion of the budget process follows in late June. At that time, the school committee cuts line items to make its bottom line match the bottom line passed by the city council. Last year, during this final phase, the school committee voted (over my objections) to cut 7.5 positions from the two high schools to help balance the budget. Despite Superintendent Catherine Ciarlo's assurances to the contrary, that vote forced a surge in class size at both high schools. At the start of the school year 132 high school classes at East and West had 30 or more children.

There is plenty of blame for a poor school funding. This year should be even worse, however, because last year the state legislature, passed a law limiting this year's school budgets to a 5.25 percent increase. The current budget was 6.6 percent more than the previous year. Meanwhile, the federal government, pours billions into war and arms manufacturing, cuts taxes for rich people and provides anemic funding for education.

Neither the school committee, nor the voters who elected it, however, are blameless. The top spending priority of past school committees has been large pay increases to our employees. While we have a great staff, the committee has not balanced the need for raises with the need for a quality education in the class room. During the last the two years, we closed an elementary school, increased class sizes at both the elementary and high schools and agreed to an average of 16 percent pay increases over three years, in exchange for employees paying three to five percent of their health care premiums.

On the optimistic side, this school committee appears to be the best of the four I have served on. Nevertheless, parents need to attend budget meetings and speak for those things which are important to them. If you can only attend one meeting, I would recommend coming to the January 31 or February 5 meetings to express your opinions. If you can attend a second meeting I recommend coming to the February 12 meeting to watch how the school committee responds to parental concerns.

NEXT EAST PARENT MEETING

Friday morning's parent meeting at Cranston East was dominated by concerns about the possible merger of the comprehensive and college preparatory tracks. School Committee member Deb Greifer and I urged the some 20 parents in attendance to take their concerns to the school committee who will decide whether to approve this proposal.

Principal Sean Kelly also announced that the double lab period for honors science classes will be eliminated next year to make scheduling easier.

The next East parent meeting is Friday March 2 at 8:30 AM. Two parents have written me saying they cannot attend morning meetings due to work. I know that is a problem and it should be taken up with Principal Sean Kelly, but the morning meetings have consistently drawn more people than the discontinued night meetings.