School district moves to trim staff , save money
By Doug Grindle Community Reporter

Marlborough - Details are emerging this week about how the Marlborough school district is likely to change in the face of pressures from a tight budget.

The school district presented a $49 million budget at the March 11 meeting of the School Committee. That represented an increase of about 6.5 percent over this year's budget.

Mayor Nancy Stevens said the increase was too high and asked for the request to be trimmed, and as a result the finance sub-committee of the School Committee has made a revised budget that takes thousands of dollars off the request. A public hearing was planned for this week on the revised proposal.

The budget would be reduced to include an increase of 5.6 percent over the current budget, said Kathleen Robey, chair of the finance sub-committee. She said the changes were made by the finance sub-committee so the district could handle the revisions, rather than pushing the issue onto the City Council.

"We hope we can avoid having those made by the council because we have taken the first step," Robey said.

The changes suggested by the finance sub-committee came as interim Superintendent Mary Carlson proposed several cuts to the district administration, eliminating several positions and bringing additional savings to the district.

Between the revisions made by the finance subcommittee and the changes to the administration, the district hopes to save half a million dollars a year, Robey said.

"Between that and other corrections, we reduced the budget by $523,735," Robey explained.

By cutting the administration positions and not teaching positions, the impact on students would be minimized, she added.

"That had less impact on student learning," Robey said.

She added that the district had an existing need to reorganize the positions, which would have occurred at some point, but the changes were brought forward by the need to save money in this year's budget request.

Among the positions eliminated will be the central registrar, the director of instruction services, the director of instructional technology and one principal's position at the Middle/ Intermediate School. One assistant principal position will be created instead. In addition, an assistant superintendent for teaching and learning will also be created, Robey said.

The district is in the middle of an eff ort to restructure the curriculum and introduce high-technology teaching methods and equipment to classrooms. Robey said that process would continue despite the shake-up.

"I see no need for any slowing down of any movement for technology for improving instruction district-wide because of this reorganization," she said.

The full School Committee is expected to consider the restructuring as well as the revised budget request at a meeting later this month.