Marblehead Schools to Cut 'Programs And People' To Meet Budget Target

MARBLEHEAD, MA — As the Marblehead School Committee began to consider elements of a tax override proposal to fund what it feels are necessary needs for the district next year, Superintendent John Buckey was tasked Monday with the "painful" and "horrible" job of considering programs and positions that will have to be eliminated if the schools must meet the town projections of funding available without additional revenue.

What School Committee Chair Sarah Fox called the "800 budget" — an $800,000, or $1.8 percent, increase over last year's budget — would include about $4 million in reductions from the initial proposed budget through not adding positions, not filling currently vacant positions and supply reductions, as well as the need to cut an additional $643,651 that Buckey said "would be programs and people."

"This is not something we want to do," Fox said during Monday's School Committee meeting. "This is something we have to do — present the level-funded (budget). Then we get to the work of talking about the override that doesn't involve cutting positions. ... We have to be working both simultaneously. If we are not capable of doing that, we are not doing right but our students and staff."

After a $3.1 million general school budget override failed a townwide vote by about a two-to-one margin last year, the School Committee and administrators are faced with the reality that while both the town and schools will move forward, either in unison or separately, on an override request this year to meet what Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer called a growing structural deficit, the budget proposals cannot "assume the will of the voters" and must include one budget that only spends available resources.

"Free cash is gone," Fox told the Committee on Monday. "These numbers include 100 percent utilization in free cash. That's why there is no wiggle room. There is none left. As a town, we have used up all of it. All of these wiggle rooms we have used in the past to balance these budgets are gone."

The Committee met Monday with the goal of outlining preliminarily what types of programs would need to be cut to make up the $643,651 gap, and what programs and staff would be restored within an override request, but most time was spent talking about how to present the potential cuts in a way that would not lead to an educator exodus this spring.

"It's devastating to morale," Buckey said. "People are already asking building principals and directors if they will be out of a job next year. People will then begin looking around with this level of uncertainty. There is plenty of opportunity out there. I can see people hedging their bets saying: 'I don't know if I will have a Marblehead job next year' and that they will start looking elsewhere."

At issue, is the override vote will not take place until the annual town election in June so that some staff will be told they are not guaranteed a position next year even if the town passes the override and restores the funding for those positions.

"This is painful work and it is horrible but we have to do it," Fox said. "One thing I have asked is that, as we go through it and do these itemized lists, is that we not attribute names to it as we move forward. At some point that will have to happen. I don't think we are there yet.

"But we do need to start eliminating positions and or programs."

While identifying specific cuts will likely damage morale, there was support on the Committee in that showing exactly what will happen to the schools under the so-called "800 Budget" is necessary to gain support for an override after last year's overwhelming defeat.

"I really hope from a School Committee perspective we are putting our energy into identifying into what we need to support or students and staff, and communicating that out to the town of Marblehead, and what that's going to look like," School Committee member Meagan Taylor said.

While the original budget proposed for next year was a 12.1 percent increase over last year, Committee members also allowed an override proposal this year should be targeted toward the most necessary programs to serve students, retain the best staff and meet state guidelines.

"I think we will be hard-pressed to get something giant passed from an override perspective," School Committee member Alison Taylor said. "We need to be realistic about that. ... We need to make our ask high and tight to make sure that we don't lose our best teachers.

"The cold reality is that we've been underfunded for so long that there is no way we are making up for that in one ask," added School Committee member Sarah Gold.

The last general tax override in Marblehead passed in 2005.

Fox noted that the "800 budget" would result in a $1,351, or 7.7 percent, reduction in the cost the district spends per student.

"Which is significant to an already-unfunded budget," Fox said.

She also said that while enrollment in the district had declined in recent years, it actually increased by 159 students this academic year.

"My observation, and I'm sorry to say this publicly, is that our school district is really just average," Thomas Mathers, who was chosen to fill an open seat on the School Committee just last month. "It's hard to say that. It's not a criticism of our hard-working teachers. Or Dr. Buckey and his administrators. Or of this School Committee.

"It's really just how much people love this town, and talk whole-heartedly about this town, yet we have an inadequate investment (in our schools)."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)