SWAMPSCOTT — The School Committee unanimously bypassed the town administration’s recommendation and voted for a higher school budget for fiscal year 2023 at its Wednesday night meeting.
The superintendent of school’s team presented an updated version of the proposed FY23 budget, reducing the total number from $32.2 million to $31.91 million after a meeting with the Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald. School Committee members found the demands of the reductions unfair and added some money back, voting unanimously to adopt a $32.095 million budget.
“This is the first time in my history that we have approved a budget that is not in line with the recommendation of the superintendent and the business administrator. Extraordinary circumstances,” said Amy OConnor, chair of the School Committee. “I want to note it is unanimous across the School Committee.”
OConnor said she appreciated Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis and the district’s Director of Finance Martha Sybert for trying to get to the numbers the town asked them for.
“While we are elected by our constituents who are other town members, our responsibilities are to the kids,” said OConnor. “In our jobs as School Committee members, our role is to make sure what we are doing for our students is first and foremost.”
Earlier in the meeting, the chair of the School Committee indicated that last Friday, the district’s team had a tough meeting with Fitzgerald about the superintendent’s FY23 budget. As anticipated, Fitzgerald wanted to keep the school-budget increase at no more than 2.8 percent, while the superintendent’s budget showed a 3-percent increase over the FY22 number, adjusted by $180,000.
The school district and town administration disagreed on the starting point, in terms of calculating the FY23 budget. According to the school district, last year the town asked it to cut $180,000 out of the FY22 budget. As they were not able to come up with possible reductions in the operating budget, the school district and the School Committee decided to use the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund grant money to cover that $180,000; however, they were under the impression that this year the baseline would include that $180,000 for planning purposes.
“(The) budget was cut for a very specific reason, which was the worry that the town was not going to hit targets,” said OConnor. “As partners, it made sense to share the burden.”
She had inquired with the town about its revenue this year to see if it in fact plummeted as anticipated, but did not hear back. Other School Committee members voiced disappointment about such poor communication from the town as well.
Another misunderstanding was in regards to town revenues. Last year, the school district agreed to a $180,000 decrease of the operating budget because the town was expecting less revenue due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Another “real stumbling block” in the budget discussion with the town administration was circuit-breaker funds and what they should be used for, said OConnor. Because of the increase in expenses on special education in the proposed FY23 budget, Fitzgerald suggested that the district should use circuit-breaker funds to cover those higher costs “in extraordinary times,” she said.
The School Committee agreed that this would not be the proper use of circuit-breaker funds that were established by the commonwealth in 2004 for planning purposes and to provide protection against cost fluctuation from year to year, as special education is quite costly.
“Districts are reimbursed anywhere between 70 and 75 percent of the cost above the foundation amount in the next fiscal year,” said School Committee member Glenn Paster. “Since expenses are occurring in the current year for any student with high-cost, special-education programming, and this expense can be an unknown during the budget projection, it is critical to keep one year’s worth of circuit-breaker money available to provide budget certainty and fiscal responsibility while meeting the requirements of free and appropriate public education to students.”
In 2021, Swampscott Public Schools provided education to 26 students with disabilities, which cost $3 million total, including a net $1.6 million in instructional costs. The district was reimbursed $1.2 million from the state.
In 2019, there were 20 students receiving special education and the district received $821,000 in reimbursement.
“To anyone who suggests otherwise and for some of the language that was used that we are privy to is disappointing to those professionals who are running this town. It sets a very dangerous precedent,” said Paster. “I would hope that the elected and appointed officials who oversee the administration of this community take a look at what is fiscally responsible and morally responsible”
Throughout the meeting, the School Committee emphasized that the district watches each and every penny and dollar. At the end of the evening, the committee decided to add back the $180,000 to finance the district’s needed technology spending.
