School Committee paints grim picture of override-less future
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - If the Shrewsbury School Department does not receive its request of $45.99 million for fiscal year 2009, school officials said they have no choice but to lay off additional teaching staff .

At a public hearing March 26, the School Committee detailed what the program would look like if the Proposition 2-1/2 override question is voted down in May.

Nine classroom teachers would be cut from the elementary and middle school level, as would one district-wide allied arts teacher.

Paton Elementary School would lose one third-grade teacher, with class sizes increasing to 27 kids; Floral Elementary School would cut one fourth-grade teacher, resulting in classes of 26 kids; Coolidge and Spring Street Elementary schools would each lose one second-grade teacher, leaving them both with classes of 27 students; Sherwood Middle School would lose two fifth-grade teachers, resulting in classes of 25 kids; and Oak Middle would lose two seventh-grade teachers, leaving them with classes of 28 students.

In addition to additional staff cuts, the lack of override funds would mean the district would have to continue implementing activity and user fees at the current level.

Shrewsbury parents currently pay $210 for their child to ride the bus, $290 for each High School sport their child plays, a $50 activity fee at the middle school level and a $100 activity fee at the High School.

The committee said it believed the override failed last year because families couldn't aff ord increased property taxes in addition to the more than $1,000 in school fees many of them were already paying.

The proposed $1.5 million override question includes $500,000 in funds to reduce or eliminate parent fees, which would be implemented in one of two ways presented during the hearing.

Option 1 would drop the transportation fee to $175 with a family cap of $350, and would eliminate all athletic fees, activity fees and fees for music lessons at the fifth-grade level.

Option 2 would cut the transportation fee even more, to $135 with a family cap of $270, reduce the athletic fee to $160 per sport with a family cap of $480 and eliminate all activity fees and music lesson fees for fifth-graders.

The committee took no action following the presentation, and said it will gather input from the community over the next several weeks before deciding which option would be best for the district.