Marblehead school budget rises despite cuts

MARBLEHEAD-Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac has proposed a $27.9 million level-services Fiscal 2011 school budget, an increase of about $521,000 from this year or 1.9 percent.Dulac?s $561,000 reduction in 2010 spending to make this budget work includes $237,000 in administrative salaries or 2.5 administrator positions.One of his proposals is to reduce the $98,731 athletic director position to a half-time job at half the salary. Dulac said he would announce the other administrative cutbacks later this month.In Thursday evening?s 90-minute budget presentation the superintendent told the School Committee this is his fourth level-services budget in four years. The 1.89 percent increase covers contractual costs.?There?s no flexibility,” he said. “I guarantee it. There?s none. You will have to make decisions to rob Paul to pay Peter.”?This is probably the last level-service budget we will be able to do without increasing class size and cutting teachers.”The budget includes what Dulac referred to as “conservative” revenue estimates, such as a 14 percent decrease in state aid, a 5 percent drop in local revenue, a 30 percent decline in state Circuit Breaker aid for special education and a 50 percent drop in special education tuitions.Dulac found money in his budget to upgrade a half-time Grade 6 Spanish teacher to full-time. On the advice of a new world languages study committee, formed in January, he chose to follow that path rather than hire a part-time Grade 4 Spanish teacher.Among the budget items he pushed forward for the committee to study were school maintenance and half-time high school wellness and social studies teachers.?I?m trying to get those back,” he said. “I will not unless I find the money.”Dulac told the committee members that when school principals and other administrators come before them, starting March 4, they should be ready to find funding for any changes they wish to discuss. Chairman Dick Nohelty asked the committee to forward questions and proposals to Dulac so that he can consider them in advance of the meeting.Dulac is relying on $425,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money to cover this year?s $105,000 Circuit Breaker shortfall and textbooks, materials and other 2011 one-time costs.