Report: Arlington's School Budget May Shrink

ARLINGTON, MA—Arlington’s Schools are facing a decrease in their budget for the 2016-2017 school year.

According to a report by Wicked Local Arlington, school officials originally requested a $3.8 million budget increase. The district was hoping to address 81 items which including hiring new teachers and aides across the district.

Reports Nick Greenhalgh, who broke the story on Wicked Local Arlington’s website.

To close the gap between what the school district wanted to spend and the $57.1 million total amount they were given by Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, Superintendent Kathy Bodie slashed the amount the district was proposing to spend nearly in half.

Bodie presented the newly trimmed requests to the members of the School Committee at their meeting on Jan. 28.

“We are constantly constrained -- this year is no different -- as is the town,” she said. “I feel for Adam (Chapdelaine). I think that we as a town need to have a conversation of what we want our town and tax base to look like.”

School Committee members voted to approve the $57 million school budget by a 5-2 vote. Chairman Paul Schlichtman and committee member Bill Hayner voted against the revised budget proposal. Along with the smaller increase, school district CFO Diane Johnson has previously said the town is losing a grant that helps pay for kindergarten and is facing an adjustment in some payments made by the state.

This vote does not finalize where the money will be spent, it merely decides what the budget the school district will operate under is, Bodie said.

The most significant cuts to requests came to the district’s special education program and the high school. The initial budget proposed an $838,782 increase in special education spending. After the changes, that increase is only $313,900. Of the 15 items originally requested, only two were fully funded and four were partially funded.

To view Greenhalgh’s full report, click here.

Want more stories like this in your inbox every day? Subscribe to Arlington Patch for breaking news alerts and our daily newsletters.