SAUGUS — Saugus’ School Committee voted unanimously last Thursday to pass a budget of $29,575,250.
Before the vote took place, Pola Andrews, Executive Director of Finance, gave a breakdown of the district’s fund allocations, which in total comes to the amount approved at Saugus’ town meeting June 29.
Notable in comparison to past years, the FY21 budget — which is more than $2 million less than the $31,979,636 one proposed in January — includes changes meant to allow financial flexibility as the district prepares to reopen amidst the COVID-19 pandemic this fall.
In particular, Andrews noted a $189,912 reduction in regular-day transportation, as well as the elimination of athletics transportation, which was estimated to cost $118,240.
“Those two cost savings are pandemic measures, and we discussed the possibility of shifting the funding should we get additional funding (or should) the pandemic end,” she said.
She added that the two items will at most be one-year reductions unless the pandemic is to continue into the next fiscal year.
“That (is), based on conversations we heard, the best plan we have as of today,” she said.
Late last month, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) asked districts to prepare three separate reopening plans: In-person learning, entirely remote learning — which would take place in the event of another coronavirus spike — or a combination of the two.
Since then, districts across the commonwealth have scrambled to put together learning models that meet unprecedented health and safety requirements while still keeping budgets in mind.
“This plan will allow schools to responsibly do what is best for students — bring them back to school to learn,” Governor Charlie Baker said last month at a news conference.
At this year’s town meeting, Saugus Town Meeting members voted 27 to 18 against a motion that would have allocated $300,000 from the town’s stabilization fund — an economic aid in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — to the School Department’s current budget.
Committee Chair Thomas Whittredge later commended Andrews and Superintendent David DeRuosi on their work on the particularly challenging budget.
“I think we did the best we could, and I think you guys did a great job,” he said.
