MARBLEHEAD — While discussing big-picture budget priorities, School Committee members advocated for funding ways to address curriculum holes and student achievement gaps.
The conversation took place at a committee workshop Thursday evening. Chair Sarah Fox said the committee will formally submit its priorities as budget directives to Superintendent Dr. John Buckey following its receipt of community feedback at a forum next week. Fox added that the group’s suggestions should be made with an emphasis on how they will affect the entire district, rather than an individual school.
“We need to strive for a budget that helps support a school system, not a system of schools,” Fox said. “I want this budget to support giving students opportunities where they are.”
Fox proposed that funding the creation or purchase of a districtwide “wrap-around” language arts and social studies curriculum be one of the committee’s budget directives.
“We want to make sure that you’re leaving each school with the same education,” committee member Sarah Gold said.
The committee also discussed student achievement gaps and the importance of meeting students where they are regarding their academic ability. Fox emphasized the need to fund enrichment opportunities while also ensuring there are enough resources to keep students from falling behind.
Members agreed that the district should also prioritize meeting contractual obligations and maintaining facilities. Fox added that she would like to see a directive specifically focused on increasing inclusion for the district’s special education students.
“The most inclusive thing is for students to be able to go to school with their community,” Fox said. “We should be addressing any programs that need to be augmented to keep as many students as we can in their home district.”
The committee also talked about potential ways to plan for unexpected swings in enrollment and outplacements that can necessitate budget overrides to pay increased operating costs.
Fox said the district has been able to account for swings in recent years due to a significant amount of savings due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that she would potentially like to see a financial buffer added to the annual budget for unexpected costs.
Gold said she would like the district to work together with the town to address the swings.
“It’s the wild swings in enrollment that make it really difficult,” Gold said. “I would like to see continued conversations with the town about how we appropriately stabilize that and have adequate resources appropriated to the swings without it being embedded in our operating costs.”
Throughout the meeting, Gold and committee secretary Meagan Taylor emphasized the fact that they would not like the committee’s budget directives to overshadow the District Plan for Success 2021-2026, which it finalized following a substantial amount of community feedback.
The plan’s main focus areas for district improvement include aligning curriculum, ensuring efficient financial management, increasing inclusion, implementing a long-term technology plan, and determining school versus town responsibilities regarding facility upkeep.
Before finalizing its budget directives for the superintendent, committee members will hear from the community next week.
“I’d like to hear from the forum and see if there is anything we missed,” Taylor said. “We had some good conversations here but I’m not ready to sign on the dotted line.”
Rachel Barber can be reached at [email protected].
