Superintendent Proposes $53 Million Budget, A 4.5% Increase

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Superintendent Gregg Gilligan is proposing a 4.5 percent increase in the North Andover Public Schools budget, with support of Town Manager Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues. Gilligan's proposed $52,992,923 budget includes a 1.5% increase over level service totals, according to his presentation, and is higher than the town manager's 3.6 percent guideline. Murphy-Rodrigues said Wednesday that the town would support the proposal, due to higher-than-expected growth and the schools' needs.

In his budget materials, Gilligan said that the town spends far less per pupil than most of the state and has significant achievement gaps for English language learner, special education and economically-disadvantaged students. The administration believes an improvement budget, rather than level services, would help close that gap, he said.

"The North Andover Public School district ranks 313 out of 323 Massachusetts school districts in per-pupil expenditures, putting North Andover in the bottom 3 percent of education spending in the state," Gilligan wrote. "The per-pupil expenditures in North Andover are $3,383 lower than the state average of $15,960, and this gap has doubled in the last decade."

With the town manager's guideline number, only $300,000 would be budgeted for improvement.

Gilligan presented the budget at the School Committee's Jan. 16 meeting. The town's announcement that it would support the proposal came less than a week later.

"Greater than expected certified new growth for FY20, as well as higher than forecasted projected FY21 growth due to a re-evaluation of building permits" allowed for the additional $700,000, according to a town press release.

“I’m happy to be able to support the Superintendent's recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2021,” Murphy-Rodrigues said in a statement. “I recognize the needs of the schools as well as the continued pressures of budgeting for the community’s needs. I’m happy to be a part of this conversation and I look forward to working with the schools in the coming months and years to find sustainable and long term solutions for their future budgetary needs. I’d like to recognize and thank Lyne Savage for her diligence over the last few weeks.”

“I am thrilled that the Town Manager is able to support our FY21 school budget,” Gilligan said. “I appreciate the incredible work of Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues and Lyne Savage over the last several weeks. This budget, along with our multi-year strategic and staffing plan, is essential to ensure our students are provided an excellent education. I look forward to continued collaboration with the Town Manager in order to meet the operational and capital needs of the North Andover Public Schools in the years ahead.”

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.