Following Monday night’s public hearing of and unanimous vote to recommend the proposed $7,646,778 Mattapoisett Schools operating budget for Fiscal Year 2023, three Mattapoisett School Committee members used the floor to “denounce” critical comments quoted from the March 24 Finance Committee meeting in an article that appeared on Page 12 of the March 31 Wanderer.
“I wonder if some of the elected officials don’t get that good education costs money,” said School Committee member Carole Clifford, disputing characterizations of school spending as “money wasted” and a “money pit.”
Clifford said there is “a lot of false information out there,” pointing to the assertion that Mattapoisett students cost an annual $22,000 to educate as opposed to $12,000 per student in other towns.
While joining Clifford and Karin Barrows in denouncing the comments made during the Finance Committee meeting, School Committee member Carly Lavin suggested that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) website’s financial information was misinterpreted due to a $9,000,000 threshold that triggers steeper costs. “There is nothing here that is close to $9,000,000,” she said.
The FY23 budget proposed by Old Rochester Regional Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber constitutes a 1.8-percent increase over the FY22 figure, 2 percent for Center and Old Hammondtown elementary schools.
“With the cost of inflation alone, it’s remarkable that the budget hasn’t increased more,” said School Committee member Tiffini Reedy.
The cooler heads belonged to ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Mattapoisett School Committee Chairman Jim Muse, who both applauded the support of the committee members but at the same time expressed optimism that ORR administration and the town can reach an agreement on the FY23 budget.
“The big point here is there are ongoing conversations with our stakeholders,” said Nelson.
“We have been extremely transparent this year as we always are. … as we’ve done for the past 10 years that I’ve been on this committee. I look forward to the town working with us and Mr. Nelson,” said Muse. “We’ve got a very reasonable budget. … We hope that the citizens of the town will agree with us that we should continue to deliver fantastic education.
“We would hope to have the support of all the other committees and officials in the town. … That’s why we go to great pains to deliver all kinds of information. … At the end of the day, it’s the people of Mattapoisett that vote on this budget.”
The $111,736 assessment from Bristol County Agricultural High School is down from the FY22 figure of $126,747 due to the attendance of one fewer student next school year.
No members of the public took the opportunity to comment, and the public hearing was closed followed by the vote to recommend the budget.
Nelson publicly thanked Muse and Lavin for their work on the Budget Subcommittee.
A second vote recommended the committee’s use of $70,000 in FY23 school choice tuition as seen fit. School Choice will become the subject of a vote at the next Mattapoisett School Committee meeting.
During the Open Comment segment of the meeting, Old Hammondtown Grade 6 teacher Sara Jacobsen questioned the town’s acceptance of public education at a time when the schools are being asked to do much more.
“The role of school has changed enormously over the past decade,” said Jacobsen, noting the Covid-19 pandemic and increased costs. “There seems to be a disconnect here between what we ask the schools to be and what we’re willing to fund. … We’d love to offer as much clarity as possible … come together so that people can understand … and avoid some of the demoralizing print that we saw earlier.”
The Anti-Racism Sub-Committee will have a new name, the “Equity Subcommittee,” after the Mattapoisett School Committee unanimously voted to accept the recommendation of the subcommittee, which has been working with an expanded staff including outside consultation.
ORR Director of Student Services Craig Davidson says that the subcommittee has been through a lot of change since its first meeting on October 5, 2020. He explained to the membership that with the growth, it has spent the last 18 months reconsidering the subcommittee’s vision and process and arrived at the new title to reflect its evolving emphasis on the celebration of equity and inclusion.
Tri-Town Against Racism, he said, was represented on the subcommittee, was involved in the process and is behind the name change.
In his Financial Report, Barber told the School Committee that just under $380,000 remains of unencumbered funds that he expects will be spent. He also said he is still in the process of evaluating grant funding and other sources.
In his Chairperson’s Report, Muse reiterated his belief that the ORR School District and the town will reach a FY23 budget agreement. “(Education in Mattapoisett) continues to be fantastic, and it only occurs due to hard work. It is appreciated that the Town of Mattapoisett has always supported us in doing that,” he said.
Muse was also thrilled that Kevin Tavares will stay in the system as principal at Old Hammondtown in the wake of Rose Bowman’s impending retirement. Of Tavares, Muse said, “He was a fantastic teacher at Old Hammondtown, we’re fortunate we’ve had him and more fortunate he’s agreed to stay on.”
In the Central Office Report, Nelson noted that the open principal position at Center School will soon be closed to applications, then begins the process of screening, interviewing and then the committee’s meeting with the finalists.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Jannell Pearson-Campbell updated the committee on parent events and said ORR is in the process of creating its professional development plan for the 2022-23 academic year.
Davidson highlighted transition meetings for students to the junior high and announced a community talk series that will resume on Tuesday, April 12, featuring Dr. Jesse W. Jackson III. Parents will hear him discuss how to speak to their children about racial incidents at school.
In the Principal’s report, Old Hammondtown has been using March Madness as the theme to its literacy project, counting down from a “sweet 16” picture books that broaden horizons down to an “elite eight” and so on.
A High Five Friday will be held on April 29, as the Mattapoisett Police Department will send officers to Mattapoisett elementary schools, where they will walk the hallways and enjoy lunch with the students.
The committee entered executive session and returned only to adjourn. The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Monday, May 16, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee will be held on Thursday, April 28. Both meetings are to start at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett School Committee
By Mick Colageo