SHREWSBURY – Shrewsbury Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Sawyer recently presented an updated district budget that would restore positions and add resources.
A year after facing a multimillion dollar deficit and the prospect of cutting positions in the district’s last budget cycle, Sawyer celebrated this plan in comments to the School Committee on Feb. 16.
“This is a really good news story,” he said. “At a really important time to be able to provide some additional supports, we will have the resources to do that.”
Override
Last year, school officials were facing a $4.9 million deficit and recommendations that would have deferred the opening of the new Beal elementary school and eliminated 48.7 teaching positions.
Voters approved a $9.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 budget override last spring, though, helping address that deficit.
“What a difference a year makes,” Chair Jon Wensky said at this recent meeting.
“It was an awkward experience as a School Committee member, in a good way, to actually be talking about adding resources in critical areas, many of them in the mental health spaces we’ve been talking about,” he said of a recent budget workshop.
Typically, Sawyer would recommend a budget based on the district’s needs.
Town Manager Kevin Mizikar would then file a balanced budget based on the resources available, Sawyer said.
There is normally a gap between those two budgets.
This year, though, there is no gap, Sawyer said.
That’s because of an agreement between the School Committee and Board of Selectmen that the Proposition 2 1/2 override last year was predicated upon.
The agreement limits the schools’ budget to increase to a maximum of between 4.25% to 4.75%. The budget can be increased by up to 4.75% if Mizikar projects that there will be additional revenue.
Both Sawyer and Mizikar are recommending a $79,318,971 budget — which is a 4.75% increase from last year.
Investments
The district is proposing a number of investments this year.
As Sawyer described it, the investments are focused on three areas — increased needs for special education and English language education services, resources to address student mental health and provide proactive support for their well being, and the restoration of past cuts and barriers.
Specific investments range from eliminating activity fees to adding a number of positions.
Some of the positions, like a preschool teacher, preschool aide and two allied arts positions were among cuts in previous years.
“We’ve cut that back over the last few years,” Sawyer said of the allied arts cuts in particular. “Not all students get all experiences as a result.”
The district hopes to add a total 15.4 FTE positions. These could include an English language education teacher who would be shared between the Beal School and Coolidge Elementary School, a social worker, two adjustment counselors at the high school and one at the middle school level, as well as two clinical coordinators.
Additionally, Sawyer proposed adding a director of clinical counseling who would coordinate the district’s team of adjustment counselors, school psychologists and clinical coordinators. This person would be the primary district connection with outside mental health providers.
“I’m very grateful that we’re looking at mental health issues and putting more resources and professional resources in that area so we can become proactive instead of reactive, which we’ve had to do for many years,” School Committee member Sandra Fryc said. “I think that will help all students as we go forward.”
These new investments are estimated to cost just under $1.2 million. Currently, the district has $878,310 in available funds to make these investments. That leaves a difference of $316,690.
Sawyer said that, over the next weeks and months before the School Committee votes on the budget before Town Meeting, the district hopes some of the cost projections “mature” and may lead to room for the positions.
Moving forward, there will be a public hearing on the budget on March 13 and the School Committee will vote on the budget on April 13.
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