Arlington School Committee Accepts $76M School Budget

ARLINGTON, MA — The School Committee last week voted to accept $76,030,531 from the town for the Fiscal Year 2021 school budget. That figure represents about a $4.6 million – 6.44 percent – increase over the previous fiscal year.

The vote was 6-1, with School Committee member William Hayner opposed. Hayner has always voted against due to "philosophical differences" with the town allocation process, namely that he believes cuts come too early, he said during the meeting.

The School Committee outlined some of its priorities, including allocating more funding toward special education funding. Member Kirsi Allison-Ampe said she continues to be concerned that "our funding is not adequate to service the needs of our population."

Member Jennifer Susse said the lack of materials for the Great Body Shop health unit is a "persistent problem." She added that the staffing needs of the middle school should be prioritized over the high school and recommended more funding for reading teachers in the elementary schools.

Susse said the high school construction will likely impact enrollment, but member Paul Schlichtman countered that he was concerned the district has not "kept pace with staffing at the high school level."

Other priorities included addressing projected elementary enrollment growth. Recommendations included hiring more reserve teachers, math intervention and reading teachers, making teaching assistants behavioral specialists and installing another learning community or cluster at Ottoson Middle School.

Multiple School Committee members deemed funding more assistant principals a low priority.