By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury is doing well financially, according to Town Manager Daniel Morgado, who updated the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and School Committee in a joint public hearing during the selectmen’s Sept. 22 meeting. That is due in part, he said, thanks to the $5.5 million Proposition 2-1/2 operational override the voters approved in June 2014.
The town currently has almost $5 million in free cash. State aid is down below what it was in 2009, Morgado said; any additional revenue the town has gained has been due to property taxes.
Looking ahead to fiscal year 2017 he said there were “four areas to think about” – state aid, unfunded state mandates, health insurance and labor contracts for three of the towns unions (teachers, fire department and police department).
Dr. Joseph Sawyer, the Shrewsbury Public Schools superintendent, also provided an update at the meeting. A proposal for a biotechnology charter school to be located in the town had not been given approval from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to go to the next step, he said.
Noting that was “a good thing,” he still cautioned that the proponents could submit a new application in the future.
The district continues to make strides, he said, towards its goals and meeting mandates as best as possible. The operational budget had actually decreased roughly 1 percent, he said. Students in grades 5-12 now all have access to digital apparatus which resulted in the district being able to obtain free or low cost materials as opposed to new books.
Although the special education portion of the budget continues to “get better,” there is always the concern, he warned, that a student may move into the town but will need significant services out of district. The goal, he said, will be looking into ways to provide services for the student in the district as opposed to out of district.
He also noted that “a small number of students” are enrolled in a “recovery high school” in Worcester.
“Like every community in the commonwealth, we have been touched by the [opiate addiction] crisis,” he added.
Patrick Collins, the assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said that a proposal for renovations at the Beals School has been submitted to the Mass. School Building Authority.
“For now, we are just keeping it correct,” Morgado said. “Nothing extraordinary is being done; any investments are just being done short-term.”
As the meeting ended, Morgado offered one last caveat that he said could impact the budget projections.
“It hasn’t snowed yet!” he said.
Shrewsbury’s finances holding steady
By Bonnie Adams
Managing Editor
Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury is doing well financially, according to Town Manager Daniel Morgado, who updated the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and School Committee in a joint public hearing during the selectmen’s Sept. 22 meeting. That is due in part, he said, thanks to the $5.5 million Proposition 2-1/2 operational override the voters approved in June 2014.
The town currently has almost $5 million in free cash. State aid is down below what it was in 2009, Morgado said; any additional revenue the town has gained has been due to property taxes.
Looking ahead to fiscal year 2017 he said there were “four areas to think about” – state aid, unfunded state mandates, health insurance and labor contracts for three of the towns unions (teachers, fire department and police department).
Dr. Joseph Sawyer, the Shrewsbury Public Schools superintendent, also provided an update at the meeting. A proposal for a biotechnology charter school to be located in the town had not been given approval from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to go to the next step, he said.
Noting that was “a good thing,” he still cautioned that the proponents could submit a new application in the future.
The district continues to make strides, he said, towards its goals and meeting mandates as best as possible. The operational budget had actually decreased roughly 1 percent, he said. Students in grades 5-12 now all have access to digital apparatus which resulted in the district being able to obtain free or low cost materials as opposed to new books.
Although the special education portion of the budget continues to “get better,” there is always the concern, he warned, that a student may move into the town but will need significant services out of district. The goal, he said, will be looking into ways to provide services for the student in the district as opposed to out of district.
He also noted that “a small number of students” are enrolled in a “recovery high school” in Worcester.
“Like every community in the commonwealth, we have been touched by the [opiate addiction] crisis,” he added.
Patrick Collins, the assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said that a proposal for renovations at the Beals School has been submitted to the Mass. School Building Authority.
“For now, we are just keeping it correct,” Morgado said. “Nothing extraordinary is being done; any investments are just being done short-tem.”
As the meeting ended, Morgado offered one last caveat that he said could impact the budget projections.
“It hasn’t snowed yet!” he said.