Schools Given $22.5M budget

At Monday night’s budget hearing for , the school committee announced that they would receive a budget of $22,511,668. The committee requested $23,104,882.

There has not been a budget increase of more than 1 percent since fiscal year 2006-2007. Last year, the budget was budget was $22,184,218.

“We’re actually getting a little bump. But we’re definitely not getting what we need,” school committee member Tom Golota said.

Special education takes up 36 percent of the Norton Public School budget. The costs for special education rises every year, so to compensate for the cuts, money is taken out of the regular education fund.

The cost for out-of-district placements is $3,028,976, so superintendent Dr. Patricia Ansay suggested to the board that they not join the school choice program.

“My recommendation is that due to space issues and financial restraints and already somewhat large class sizes, and especially for grades four and up, that this board not participate in the school choice program for 2011 and 2012,” Ansay said.

When the financial committee approached the school committee about the budget, they asked what would be involved if the Norton Public School budget was cut by $920,000. The answer was that teachers would have to be let go. Teacher salaries take up 55 percent of the budget.

“I know for a fact that since Dr. Ansay’s been here, I don’t think there has been a stone that was unturned,” School Committee member Tom Golota said.

Other costs include utilities, vendors, advertising and attorney fees.

In order to make up for the budget cuts, the following measures will be implemented:

• One less teacher at L. G. Nourse

• Two less teachers at both Henri A. Yelle and J. C. Solomnese Elementary Schools

• Fewer substitute teachers

• Reduction of professional development

• No new maintenance equipment

• Fewer teaching supplies

• No new textbooks

• Cutbacks to attorney fees

“We’re not a revenue producing facility, and we shouldn’t be,” Golota said. But despite that, school officials have had to get creative in getting money.

To add money to the budget, the school has implemented the following:

• Cost-avoidance program of electric and natural gas: $955,224

• Income from grants: $2,306,279

• Solar panel installment: $6,000 annually

• User fees: $402,569

• Cooperative purchasing with other towns, cities and school districts

• National Grid energy efficient light fixtures

Voters now will now have a chance to voice their opinion on the budget at the Annual Town Meeting on May 9 in the Norton High School gym at 7 p.m.

Also announced at the hearing, the Massachusetts School Building Authority approved Norton for a 64.42 percent reimbursement for the Norton High School building project. The original estimate was 58 percent.

Approximately eight people, not including administrators and members of the media, showed up to the budget hearing.