End-of-Year School Budget Surplus Has Proposed Math, Reading Program Purchases on the Table

Editor's Note: Due to a reporter's error, the remaining budget balance reported was originall about $1,000 off. The surplus figure has been corrected.

With a little more than two weeks left in the fiscal year, Melrose Public Schools will have a remaining budget balance of $104,202, leading the administration to make two purchase recommendations this week—and the School Committee adding a few recommendations of their own.

According to a memo (PDF attached) from Greg Zammuto, Melrose Schools business manager, most of the savings come from the categories of Salaries—leave of absences, mid-year resignations and positions being filled with substitutes or remaining unfilled—and Other General Expenses, mainly due to a $55,652 state stabilization grant and student placement changes during the year.

Based on that available funding and on the budget discussions held with administrators earlier this winter and spring, Zammuto and Superintendent Joe Casey submitted to the School Committee on Tuesday night two recommendations: Purchasing the Symphony Math web-based program for all the elementary schools for $23,000, covering three years, and purchasing the Lexia web-based reading program for all the elementary schools for $34,895, also covering three years.

, when asked if they all wanted to use the Symphony Math program, each Melrose elementary school principal said yes.

The remaining balance of $46,307 would be retained with the district's savings account (Applied Funds), which has been leaned on more than usual during the past few budget cycles and because, as Zammuto's memo notes, "the fiscal forecast indicates that FY12 will be more of a challenge than the past few years." 

Committee member Don Constantine added, "We're showing this as a surplus, but the reality is we’ve offset our funding with a large withdrawal from our revolving account. This just means we’re taking a little less out of the savings account, but we are taking a big hit on that savings account."

In addition to the administration's recommendations, committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis mentioned that Dawn Benski, the district's lead visual arts teacher, said her department needed approximately $1,500 more to be level funded for next year.

Committee member J.D. LaRock also noted the as a need, which the committee , and added that he'd like to see some money used to possibly increase capacity in the district's English Language Learner program, based on the state report presented earlier in the evening.

LaRock added that while the principals expressed their desire to have the Lexia and Symphony programs, he would like to see additional detail on the number of classrooms and grades that would be covered through those purchases.

Casey and Zammuto took noted on the committee's requests and plan to bring forth the recommendations at the committee's next meeting scheduled for June 28, the last of the fiscal year.