Committee approves reduced school budget
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - The Shrewsbury School Committee has approved a budget of $45.99 million for fiscal year (FY) 2009, a 7.6 percent increase over FY 2008.

Since the beginning of budget discussions, the budget request has dropped from a 9.7 percent increase to an 8.5 percent increase to the current 7.6 percent, which the committee voted, 4-1, in favor of at its March 12 meeting.

School officials were able to further reduce the budget by eliminating a proposed budget analyst position, a speech language pathologist position, as well as use expected cost savings the district will see when two retiring teachers are replaced by new, less costly teachers.

Mark Murray was the one committee member who voted against the proposed budget, saying he could not support any additional cuts.

"We are already one of the most under-funded districts in the state, in the bottom 10 percent, which is something I'm not proud of," he said. "I feel [the committee] is deliberately

" and consciously contributing to the under-funding of the school budget. Anything less than the 8.5 percent increase is selling the kids, the schools and the community short."

Committee members who voted in favor of the $45.99 million budget said they did so because it is an amount that would allow the district to continue providing the same level of services that it currently does without causing further degradation to the program.

The most recent reduction doesn't include increased cuts to classroom staffing, materials or programs that directly impact the students' learning.

"We can continue to do at least the job that we're doing now," Chair Deborah Peeples said. "I think this is the right budget to ask for."

The committee voted unanimously to ask the Board of Selectmen to place a Proposition 2-1/2 override question on the ballot if the school budget cannot be funded at the 7.6 percent increase level.

While overrides have not been successful in recent years, committee member Erin Canzano urged her colleagues to keep a positive attitude if a question is, in fact, placed on the ballot.

"It may be an uphill battle, but it is possible," she said.

The School Committee said it would like to see override funds to reduce parents' user fees included in the requested amount. More than $900,000 is currently being raised through transportation, athletic, activity and music lesson fees. This request was later honored by the Board of Selectmen in its decision to place an override question on the May ballot.

The committee has asked that between $400,000 and $500,000 be raised to offset that amount if an override is approved. The committee has not decided at what level each of the individual fees would be impacted.