School budget may require Proposition 2-1/2 override
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Northborough - The Northborough School Committee has begun to look into asking residents to consider a Proposition 2-1/2 override at April's Town Meeting, and the very real possibility that positions may have to be eliminated if an override is not approved.

The School Committee approved at its March 5 meeting a fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget for its K-8 schools of $17.47 million, an increase of 5.66 percent over FY 2008. The School Committee pared the budget at its last two meetings, but it remains $361,000 over what the town can spend to stay within Proposition 2-1/2 guidelines.

In January, Town Administrator Barry Brenner explained to the Board of Selectmen and Superintendent of Schools Charles Gobron that the K-8 budget cold only increase 2.5 percent, which was $413,000, and stay within the limitation of Proposition 2-1/2.

Gobron, who said he hopes a solution to the impasse doesn't include an override or layoff s, confirmed that he has asked Brenner to reserve a spot in the Monday April 28 Town Meeting Warrant for an article regarding a possible override request.

"If it gets to the point where we need to request an override," Gobron said, "I think the most important thing we'll need to do in the days leading up to Town Meeting is make sure that everyone knows exactly what jobs will be cut and what services lost if the override fails. If we decide an override is necessary, whatever we say we're going to cut, we're going to have to cut."

While the School Committee unanimously agreed that any further cuts would directly aff ect the quality of the education being provided for the town's students, Gobron said the students are still the district's primary concern.

"When we make the decision about what we're going to lose if an override is not approved," Gobron said, "the first thing we have to think about, and think about it over and over, is the students."

Omitted from the approved budget for cost-saving purposes were two positions Gobron had hoped to add - an English as a second language teacher and a data compliance specialist whose sole focus would be to keep up with state-required data for both students and district employees.

School Committee member Shirley Lundberg said despite the cuts and the bleak financial picture of the school district, the town and the state, the School Committee cannot lose sight of the fact that maintaining small class sizes is its top priority.

To that end, Gobron confirmed that the district plans to add a fifth-grade teacher at Peaslee Elementary School.

School Committee member Susan Sartori said one way to accomplish that, other than just adding another teacher, would be to reduce the number of sixth-grade teachers at Melican Middle School by one, and then transfer the position and the teacher to Peaslee.

"Because of the way the numbers are, you could eliminate a teacher at Melican and move it to Peaslee and still be within the class-size recommendations at Melican," Sartori said.

Also not in the budget is one kindergarten aide position, but Gobron said he hopes that could be reinstated down the line with additional money that could come out of the state budget.

"The governor's plan calls for more money for early childhood education and full-day education," Gobron said. "If that materializes, it would allow us to put the position back in the budget."