Mansfield School Committee Ponders Cut Options in Budget

The Mansfield School Committee continued to discuss the issue of the budget deficit (now at $1.8 million for the schools, according to superintendent Brenda Hodges) and where they could cut to decrease the gap.

Hodges said that, as of right now, there would have to be about 45 full-time equivalent teaching positions cut to balance the current gap.

“People can think we’re alarmist, it seems like no matter what we do, we didn’t do it right,” Vice Chair Lisa Losiewicz said. “Some people are paying attention, and some people aren’t paying attention and we have to do our job in terms of what’s best. I know we’ve looked at it before, but if we’re going to look at [cutting] 40 teachers then we should look at [cutting] athletics.”

Hodges said that she is currently going over line items, that total 6 percent of the budget in line items (about $250,000, that she said were discretionary and could be somewhat cut down.

“That’s what we have that we can really go to and play with,” she said. “We can’t take all of that, but that’s where we look to when we try to find monies.”

The committee agreed that, as it stands now, no matter what cuts made, staff positions would need to be cut as well.

“We’re going to hit staff there’s no question,” committee member Jim Perry said.

The committee agreed to invite a representative from the financial committee to come to the April 10 school committee meeting to go over the board’s findings and see if there are any other non staff budget cuts they could make before town meeting.

“I guess I would just like to see a fresh set of eyes,” committee member Kiera O’Neil said. “If we’re going to the point where we’re saying we can’t cut anymore, I would like to know personally as I’m sitting at this board that I know we can’t cut anymore, and I can feel confident saying that.”

 Losiewicz said that she does not want to get to the position of cutting staff, and will vote against it.

“I just want to be clear, I am not cutting staff,” she said. “I will not be voting to cut staff. If the public tells us we have to cut staff, I’ll do it, but other than that I’m doing it.”