School Committee Votes Down Webmaster, Summer Program Proposals in Finalizing Budget

Proposals to tap the Melrose Schools' technology and legal budgets to fund a part-time webmaster and a expand a summer program for at-risk kids failed at Tuesday's School Committee meeting, as the committee finalized next year's $25 million budget.

Committee member Christine Casatelli made both proposals, the first of which would've taken $12,000 from the schools' technology budget to hire a part-time webmaster for the district's website. The proposal failed by a 1-5 vote.

Casatelli said that the "capstone" of the was the district's website, adding that the district created a website for superintendent candidates "because we didn't have enough confidence in our district website. I think that's regrettable."

She added that hiring the webmaster would have a direct impact on services to students and parents, and that at the end of the budget year, any money left over could be put back into the technology budget.

"I think this is a proposal we need to act on now, so we can start looking for someone to fill the position," Casatelli said. "Fill the position on July 1, when school begins in September we have a revamped, cleaned up, ready-to-go website."

Committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis acknowledged that the district website "needs a lot of help," adding that she has frequently sent dead links, incorrect information and items that need to be updated on the website to Casatelli. She also said the website needs to be addressed in an expedited way.

However, Kourkoumelis said she couldn't support taking any money from the technology budget due to existing inadequecies in the technology equipment available to students, which she said are direct student student services, a stance echoed by several other committee members.

Committee member Margaret Driscoll pointed out that as the district develops job descriptions, perhaps the role of webmaster can be factored into one of the technology department positions.

Summer Program For At-Risk Elementary Students

The second proposal would've taken $6,500 from the legal or technology budget to expand a summer program for at-risk elementary students at the . The proposal failed by a 3-4 vote, with Casatelli, Kourkoumelis and Don Lehman voting in favor.

This summer, the Lincoln School plans to run the program for 24 students using only Title I funding. Casatelli said the additional $6,500 would double the size of the program and allow admittance of students from other elementary schools in the city.

Like the webmaster proposal, she argued that the district couldn't wait until July 1 to launch, as the district would need to determine which students would attend and hire tutors, and that leftover funds at the end of the budget year could back fill the legal or technology budgets in June.

After quizzing School Business Manager Greg Zammuto on other ways of finding funding for the expanded program, Kourkoumelis said she hoped that with shifts in school personnel, she hoped the district could find the money to fund

Mayor Rob Dolan asked the committee to "take a brief time out" to reflect where they are in the budget process in to note that Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed budget level funds local aid, but it's predicated more than $20 million in new tax revenue that House Speaker Robert DeLeo opposes and that the overall state budget picture remains in flux. He also noted upcoming contract negotiations with the school secretarial union, with administrators and one year from now, negotiations for a new teacher's union contract.

"I love that (summer) program," Dolan said. "I think we need to play out a little longer to see where House and Senate are."

Driscoll added that the district will also need to negotiate with the teacher's union this year regarding the new teacher evaluation tool mandated by state law, and that the committee had already cut back on its legal budget, tapping City Solicitor Rob Van Campen for more and more responsibilities.

"In fact we’re going to to the bargaining table with all our bargaining units," she said. "I can’t predict what’s going to happen."

After the discussion and votes on the two proposals, the committee unanimously approved the bottom line for each of the major fiscal 2013 budget sections.