After an over three-hour-long meeting with almost 200 parents, students, and educators (past and present) in attendance, the Old Rochester Regional School Committee voted to accept the less preferable fiscal year 2018 school budget – the one town administrators and officials forced upon the school district, saying the towns could not afford any more.
With only a $320,000 increase offered by the three towns collectively, the $18,093,215 school budget placed the junior high music program, as well as technology and technology upgrades at the high school, on the chopping block, drawing out in droves the students, parents, and teachers who opposed the budgetary measures.
ORR School Committee Chairman Tina Rood said the committee’s preferred FY18 budget called for an $834,000 increase in the budget to allow for an additional guidance counselor, psychologist, and art teacher, among other things.
“So you can imagine our dismay when we saw that number ($320,000) and realized how that was going to impact our school,” Rood said. This prompted the thought, she said, “This cannot happen. This devastates our school in a way that we’re not coming back from for a long time.”
Rood recalled the recent budget meeting with the three towns two weeks ago when that $320,000 became a FY18 reality.
“They were very angry that our school needed this type of increase,” said Rood. In her opinion, she said, the budget the committee put forward was about supporting staff and improving the school. The towns’ anger was irrelevant. “As a school committee member, I’m OK with that.”
According to Rood, as it stands, the three towns spend below the state average for a regionalized school district, with a negative 2 reduction in spending over the last three years while the state average has been a six percent increase in spending.
“I am not going to apologize to our towns,” said Rood. “The townspeople have always supported our school budget.”
Superintendent Doug White led a slide presentation introducing the proposed budget, and it was not long before the hands went up and people started asking questions.
Increasing School Choice was the option chosen to make up the shortfall between what the district needed for a level-service budget and what the towns were willing to contribute. The committee during its last meeting voted to cap School Choice at 125, after a steady attempt over the last few years to curtail any increase in School Choice slots.
“As we pull those students in … those dollars are going to be used to bring those positions (music, technology, and social science) back so we don’t lose them and we will be able to keep everything that we have and move forward with a level-service budget,” White said.
Of the 125 available slots, 90 have already been filled. “And we still have time going forward before we close those out,” said White.
One person asked why the music and technology departments were chosen for cuts. White said it was mainly due to resignations or retirements in those areas, which would make it easier to simply not fill. Also, there would be no unemployment costs that go along with them.
“And none of these decisions is one that the school committee supports,” Rood said. “We wanted to show the towns the kind of impact it would have on our schools.”
With the threat of cutting out the music program from the junior high, including band, seemingly solved through School Choice that brings in an additional $5,000 per School Choice student, people present still expressed outrage and opposition to the measure, taking turns reading pages of handwritten letters and submitting petitions – one with 200 student signatures, and one with 322 parent/resident signatures.
Over the course of the evening, school committee members defended their contract negotiations with teachers and administration – the reason, according to the towns, for the school district’s dire financial situation.
“We spend a lot of time in negotiating our contracts,” said committee member Jim Muse. “These people are treated fairly … and we do it because we want the best people to dedicate their time and be here … and we want them to want to come here and we want them to stay.”
Students stood, expressing outrage, as did parents. Some parents offered veiled warnings to the selectmen of the three towns, especially those up for re-election.
“This is our opportunity to show our elected officials that they can be ousted,” said one man in a sea of faces.
Mattapoisett Selectman Tyler Macallister stood and faced the music. He defended the towns’ position on the budget.
“We are only allowed to assess 2.5 percent annually,” he said, referring to Mattapoisett’s new revenue of $565,000 “of which we have to finance everything in town.”
With its own infrastructure, its own contracts, Macallister said, “It was very concerning when [the Town] put together budgets and issued forecasts for 2016 [to the school district] that there was negotiations going on that weren’t considering those budgets.” He continued, “I would like everyone here who is very concerned about budgets and funding … to come into meetings and understand how we (selectmen) have to make decisions every day. We can’t spend more than we get. So we try to do contracts that make sense and we can afford.”
“Before you go blaming the Board of Selectmen and the town administrators and the finance committees, I really think you need to take a look at how these numbers were derived, because I don’t want my daughter not to have band and you’re all looking at me … and I am up for reelection and I am jeopardizing that…. It’s a very difficult job. It’s a problem. We can work the problem; we don’t need to post blame.”
Some weren’t buying that argument, though.
“We are three wealthy communities,” said one woman. “It makes no sense that we’re here. This is crazy that we’re in this position … we’re here and this is our will and we want these programs to continue and to grow and were not going back in time…. The contract was in the best interest of our students because when you are supporting our schools, and you are supporting our teachers, you are supporting our students.”
One after the next, parents and teachers voiced the importance of music in academics, as well as in social-emotional development.
Technology was also supported by a number of residents, as well as high school Principal Mike Devoll.
“I think I speak for everybody when I say nobody wants to cut any of our positions,” said Devoll. “I don’t want to run my school without a technology department. If that goes away, I don’t want to work at that school.” Devoll encouraged all to continue to come back to future meetings. “Because it does not look better in the years to come…. There are a lot of other opportunities that I don’t want to see go by the wayside … and we’re going to need you moving forward beyond tonight. It’s gonna have to be a long-term sustaining effort.”
Committee member Heather Burke said she did not believe that area selectmen want to see ORR become a mediocre school. “But they need to know that it’s OK with the townspeople to pay a little bit more, because when it’s spread across all the townspeople, it’s only going to be a little bit more.”
Music teacher Hannah Moore begged the people who still remained after three hours, “Please everyone, stay involved. Stay passionate, engaged, never ever lose your diligence. Keep talking about it…. We have a very blessed community here and we need to work very hard to do what we can to keep that going.” She continued, “There’s a lot of unknowns and hang in there.”
The committee voted to accept the budget, but Rood voted to reject the budget as proposed. “I have to protest,” she said.
“We need to become an activist board moving forward,” said Burke. “It is swallowing some bad tasting medicine to do this, but I think it’s because this group has worked so well to find a way to meet the needs of the students. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but if it gets you what we need.”
The committee expects further discussion on the annual town meeting floor in May, and hopes for another good turnout of supporters on May 8.
The next meeting of the Old Rochester Regional School Committee is scheduled for May 10 at 6:30 pm in the junior high media room.
By Jean Perry