SAUGUS — At the last School Committee meeting, the establishment of the Special Education Stabilization Fund at the level not exceeding two percent of net school spending, was discussed.
“All of us here are excited to get it going sooner rather than later,” said School Committee Chair Vincent Sereno.
Sereno said that the fund would give the administration the ability to secure funds for special education.
“If the money is here, we use it, if it is not there, we find it, that’s not how you run anything,” he said.
Superintendent Erin McMahon said that the problem with the previous model of funding of special education was that when the money was needed, the administration would find it, but it would then “need to cut something else.”
“Every time a bill increases for special education, every time it happens, we have to reduce in some other area — a paraprofessional position doesn’t get refilled, a person who’s resigned — that position is not filled,” said McMahon.
Pola Andrews, executive director of finance and administration at Saugus Public Schools said that the Special Education Stabilization Fund was enacted through the Municipal Modernization Act, and it is “something that other school districts are utilizing across the Commonwealth.” It would also be appropriate for Saugus, because it was not seeking any additional funding, said Andrews.
“The fund cannot exceed two percent of net school spending,” said Andrews.
She said that sometimes the money for special education now came at the expense of salaries and programs, and that it required “a very involved discussion with all of the central office.”
“And it’s painful, and it’s something we’d like to avoid in the future,” said Andrews.
Andrews said that she was hoping that the Special Education Stabilization Fund would capture any leftover funding once the town accountant closes, which is usually in the end of August-beginning of September, said Andrews, as “much happens over the summer.”
School Committee member Ryan Fisher said that unlike most other areas on the budget, such as teacher salaries that can be predicted in advance, with special education it can be unexpected and often be “just as a very large bill.”
“And that’s just something that we have to accommodate,” said Fisher.
What the School Committee was trying to do was to find a way to retain any savings within the budget, so that “we are ready, when we have a new placement,” said Fisher. He also noted that the Town Meeting sent the proposal for the Special Education Stabilization Fund back to the School Committee for modification, because the way the article for the fund establishment was written, it required the approval of the Board of Selectmen for withdrawals from the fund, and not of the Town Meeting.
The School Committee will vote on the establishment of the Special Education Fund at the next meeting.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
