Lynn school board passes budget

LYNN – The School Committee voted unanimously Thursday to approve an amended version of Superintendent Nicholas Kostan’s appropriated Fiscal 2009 budget, all but sealing the fate of the Fallon and Washington Community elementary schools.With the School Committee’s approval, the $108,479,394 million spending plan will head to the City Council for approval next week and, if approved, would await a June 26 public hearing as its final obstacle.Of the $108.5 million total, $107,808,394 will come from the city, with the remaining $671,000 arriving through grants and other means of funding. According to Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr., the School Department is the only department that would see an increase of its yearly spending, up .5 percent from 2008.After several weeks of difficult negotiations and meetings with the School Committee’s Finance Subcommittee, Kostan expressed a desire this week to move the budget along as quickly as possible so the administration could begin the daunting task of reassigning teachers and re-districting students from the soon-to-be defunct schools.Under the 2009 budget the Washington School would close its doors and become a Special Education Center for Lynn Public Schools, while the Fallon School on Robinson Street would remain property of the city, although there are no plans to move any programs to that facility at this time.Kostan said the decision to close the schools was made based solely on enrollment numbers showing a decline in both schools. Several parents were on hand to speak out against the closures; however meeting law prohibits public comment on the budget until the June 26 public hearing.If there is any good news surrounding what has been a gut-wrenching budget, it is that Kostan announced the department had freed up enough money through federal funds to save the jobs of at least 10 teachers. The Superintendent’s plan is to hold off on assigning those teachers until after school begins in September to try and accommodate for inevitable changes in enrollment and population that may cause overcrowding in some schools.”We have found the funding to be able to put 10 positions back in, but we have to wait and see where the high numbers are next year before we can assign those positions,” Kostan said. “I would hate to put them in place now and then see shifts in enrollment that would force us to move them around.”Concerned with keeping young teachers in the Lynn Public School system, School Committee members urged Kostan to identify the teachers who will fill those positions now, and keep them in a pool that would guarantee a position somewhere when school begins again.”Lynn Public Schools have done a great job of recruiting young teachers, we have had job fairs,” said Committeewoman Donna Cappola. “I would hate to lose those teachers to another district that we have worked hard to recruit.”Committee member Vincent Spirito recommended two amendments to the budget, one successful and one that was rejected. Committee members decided not to support Spirito’s plan to salvage three clerk and one supervisor position at the high school level, but did agree to eliminate an administrative position at the newly combined Career Development Center and Alternative High School in favor of hiring more teachers.At the discretion of Special Education Director Cheryl Menino, the Alternative High School will lose either a guidance councilor or an assistant director, a move that would create at least two more teaching positions.The public hearing for the Lynn Public School’s budget will take place Thursday, June 26 at 6 p.m. in the Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute’s Annex Building.