4 Things to Know About the Proposed FY 2014 School Budget
An overview of the Melrose School Department's proposed fiscal year 2014 budget.
School officials recently presented the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget during a Melrose School Committee session. Here is a sampling of four things to know about the school budget proposal:
1) Fiscal Challenges
Based on the budget presentation, the School Department is facing these fiscal challenges for FY 2014:
- 42.9 percent reduction in available applied funds, from $3,239,485 to $1,887,265
- Reduction in grant monies from FY 2011 ($3.2 million) to FY 2013 ($1.9 million)
- Lower than expected state funding. "The fact remains that entering FY14, the City of Melrose and the Melrose Public Schools will be working with $2.1 million less dollars in State Aid we received from the Commonwealth 5 fiscal years ago (Fiscal Year 2009)," said Chief Financial Officer/Auditor Patrick Dello Russo during the meeting. "This revenue is critical in order to fund our public schools as well as the increased demands of other City departments. On top of that is the loss of Federal stimulus provided to school departments across the nation beginning in FY 11. Since the end of the federal stimulus the city of Melrose alone has lost $1.3 million dollars."
- Constraints on city’s ability to supplement lost funds
2) City Funding
The city is expected to appropriate $22,124,770 in FY 2014, plus an additional $1,297,425 as well as $620,000 for contractual obligations, which brings the total FY 2014 appropriations to $24,042,195. Compared to FY 2013, the city is proposing to contribute 8.67 percent more in FY 2014.
3) Budget Drivers
Among the key budget drivers in FY 2014 are:
- Contractual obligations: Up $461,538 to $22,544,990; a 2.09 percent increase.
- English as a second language: Up $83,000 to $133,000; an 166 percent increase.
- Athletics: Up $75,918 to $595,048; a 14.62 percent increase.
- Curriculum/professional development: Up $86,706 to $451,462; a 23.77 percent increase.
4) Effect of Budget Challenges and Drivers
The School Department has identified the budget challenges and drivers and how they could effect the district:
- Competing choices: As budget figures were developed, many choices needed to be made.
- Reorganization of some programs and positions were made to support teaching and learning goals.
- Reduction in secretarial positions.
- Loss of elementary school Italian due to lack of sufficient grant funding.
- Increase in fees needed to supplement specific programs.
Lizbeth DeSelm
1:09 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
These 4 points you outline in this article are all nice and well and good, but the 'agenda' for last nights' joint meeting between the Aldermen and the Melrose School Committee was severely lacking. The meeting itself was more or less a speech presentation of the FY2014 budget by the Honorable Mayor Dolan. No actual budget was given, no real Municipal P'n'L Statement as it were, was ever actually offered, others than a statement that the budget is $68M.
Lizbeth DeSelm
1:11 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Sitting in the Aldermanic Chamber listening to the Mayor give his budget speech, without having the pleasure to have reviewed the budget prior (or since for that matter) I made a few observations of my own-
*City buildings and school buildings were combined into a single energy budget, according to the Mayor. Without seeing the fine print, I really wonder if this is a good thing. Perhaps there is streamlining and excesses removed, thereby reducing costs, but our school buildings are used in much more dynamic ways than our city government buildings, and I am concerned in streamlining and grouping these together, could details have been overlooked?
*Roads, water and sewer piping are going to be repaired, but only in a scant few sections of the city- If the city deems your road a high traffic area, or if the city got a grant to replace sewer or water piping, then you are going to be in for some road construction projects in the not-too-distant future. However, if you live on a lesser trafficked road such as mine (South High St), do not count on getting the pot holes filled, or even having sidewalks for your children to ride their bicycles on.
*Five (5) brand spanking new police cruisers. Five. Do we need to buy five new police vehicles? Do we need two(2) more? One(1)?
*Apparently there are plans to completely redevelop both Cedar Park and Wyoming Hill MBTA stations. I'd like to see the details before I buy into it.
I welcome your feedback.