School budget preview in Marblehead

MARBLEHEAD – Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac whetted the School Committee?s appetite Thursday evening for the Fiscal 2009 preliminary budget he plans to unveil Jan. 31.Dulac said his first budget for the Marblehead schools will be level-funded at $22-$23 million, within the limits of Town Administrator Tony Sasso?s $57.9 million total.However, he plans to reallocate the uses of about $600,000 within the $22.4 million.?The money will be in the budget, but it will be used in different ways,” he said. For example, instead of leaving instructional leadership to the team of curriculum directors, Dulac wants that leadership team to include school principals and teacher leaders.One of the practical changes he will seek will be the one-time purchase of a $35,000 van for local transportation of special education students, an expense that will save the $54,000 a year the town currently spends on their transportation.This year?s fourth grade class at the Marblehead Village School has 28 more students than the fifth grade. Dulac will be working to accommodate that increase at the fifth-grade level next year and he warned the committee that his budget doesn?t deal with that scenario.?If we get additional money, the first thing I?m going for is relief for the fifth grade,” he said.Dulac told the committee he is hoping that they will finalize the budget quickly this year so they can discuss the capital projects, like the replacement of the 1950s Village School boilers.He is hoping that the boiler replacement will free up money currently spent on boiler maintenance. “Our maintenance needs are huge,” he said.