Lynn school dept. bracing for blow

LYNN – With state leaders poised to grant Gov. Deval Patrick expanded, qualified budget-cutting powers that could result in up to a half-billion in local aid cuts this week, school officials are preparing for a significant financial hit.The areas that will be most affected could range from facilities to personnel, but until the official number is cut from the budget, officials say they can only speculate on potential money-saving moves.Legislative officials at the state level are scheduled to meet and debate Patrick’s proposed cuts today, and Patrick could announce cuts as early as Thursday.”We are really just waiting for a bottom line,” said Superintendent Catherine Latham. “There is so much up in the air right now, we really need a number. But there is no doubt that we are very, very concerned.”The Lynn Public Schools are already operating on a bare bones budget, after cuts last year forced then Superintendent Nicholas Kostan to close two schools, combine several facilities and special education programs and lay off over 100 employees, including 90 licensed teachers.Latham said, without going into detail, that she has been meeting with city officials, members of the local legislative delegation and school administrators to informally “imagine all possibilities” that could come from extensive cuts such as this.One of those city leaders is Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr., who said in no uncertain terms that a significant cut in local aid would affect schools, police, fire and other city services in a big way.”This is going to have a serious financial impact,” he said. “There is going to be pain felt in every department of the city.”Both Clancy and Latham stopped short of suggesting there would be layoffs in the schools and other departments, but given the large portion of the budget dedicated to employee health insurance, pension and salaries, job cuts would not be a surprising reality.The School Department has already imposed a hiring freeze and the administration is working the remainder of this year, and possibly next, with several key positions empty.As a result of Latham’s hire as superintendent when Nicholas Kostan retired this month, her former position of deputy superintendent will remain vacant, leaving Deputy Superintendent Jaye Warry to double her workload.In addition, the department also lost Director of Equity and Program Support Janet Birchenough to retirement this month, another high profile administrative position that will remain empty.With the state facing a $1 billion deficit in the fiscal year 2009 budget, and a significant shortfall in the 2010 budget, Clancy says the numbers being thrown about at the state level can be confusing.The cuts being discussed this week are of the 9C variety, from the fiscal year 2009 budget. Patrick has already cut $625 million from the budget in the way of 9C cuts last October, but none of that money was local aid.Local aid accounts for $5 billion in annual state spending, and about 58 percent of Lynn’s total budget. Approximately half of that amount has already been issued to cities and towns, meaning any local aid cuts at this point would all but clean out the department’s fourth quarter spending money.In addition, cuts to the fiscal year 2009 budget will leave the department even further behind when negotiating the fiscal 2010 plan, which is already expected to be one of the toughest in modern history.”This is the worst time in history to have to be faced with these decisions,” said Clancy. “The only time it may have been worse was when (Proposition 21/2 ) went into effect (in 1982). But you start even further down the totem pole with 2010 (if 9C cuts are made in 2009).”