Schools Ask For A $2.436 Million Override

In two votes Monday night at the RMHS library, a balanced budget that nobody liked was approved by a 5-1 vote, followed by a 5-1 vote in favor of an override budget that everyone liked, except for School Committee member Nick Boivin.

The result is that the School Committee will ask the Board of Selectmen to ask voters for a $2,436,000 budget override, not including benefit costs that will push the total higher. That figure is in addition to the $42,723,025 balanced budget that the School Committee also approved.

The next stop on the road to an expected override is Wednesday's Financial Forum at the Reading Public Library. Following that, the Selectmen meet Tuesday, Jan. 30 to decide if there will be an override (a near certainty) and for how much (total uncertainty). Even though the town has presented a budget that includes just shy of $1.8 million in override items, and the schools $2.436, the Selectmen can pick any number they wish. That final number will be based on town needs, balanced with the desire to make sure the override passes, meaning they don't want to ask for too much and risk a repeat of the October 2016 failed override. If the school number is less that the $2.436 million, the School Committee will meet Feb. 5 to decide what to cut from the override budget.

The meeting at the Schettini Library began with public comment and once again teachers, students, and residents pleaded with the School Committee to save the Middle School Language program. That cut included elimination of half the English Language Arts program for sixth graders as well as all foreign language programs for seventh and eighth graders.

RMHS sophomore Autumn Hendrickson spoke in support of her experience learning Spanish in the middle school and said of the budget, "we're hanging by a thread. Please don't cut that thread." Parent and former language teacher Julie Wall said learning a language in middle school was "fundamental and non-negotiable."

Then it was the School Committee's turn. Elaine Webb started the discussion of the balanced budget, saying it was a question of, "where we're going to put, or not put, the guillotine. It is time for this community to stand up. Bottom line is that we have to pass [an override]. We can't do this anymore. This is going to be painful and there is no one who won't be hurt by the end of the night."

Regarding the override, Jeanne Borawski said, "I see no other path forward."

Linda Snow Dockser said, "I hate to support this middle school cut. It's awful. I support the override. When a school system cuts for five years there's no fat left to cut."

But among the six members of the School Committee only one came armed with a different proposal. Nick Boivin proposed saving the middle school programs with a combination of cuts, starting with returning the high school athletic budget to FY16 levels, meaning a cut of $200,000. His cuts also included the Data Coach (a savings of $66,000), a 4-10 percent cut in the building based budgets (approximately $100,000), kindergarten ($49,000), and elimination of the business assistant ($70,000). That totaled $485,000, roughly the same amount as the seven middle school teachers who were cut in the balanced budget. His efforts to save the middle school programs drew applause, but uncertainty in the effect the cuts would have in athletics along with concerns for the budgets for individual schools left him on the wrong end of a 5-1 vote.

But despite the vote, Boivin was in agreement with his fellow committee members. "We do need an override. I do not think this is the right path for our schools."

Following the balanced budget vote the committee moved on to the override budget. There was no other plan proposed beyond the one presented by Superintendent John Doherty. Boivin was the lone dissenting vote, not because he had an issue with the benefits of the additional items, but because some of the items in the budget included cuts from years ago, including the restoration of six high school teachers. Sustainability and the risk of asking for too much led to his no vote.

After four hours another piece of the override puzzle had been added. The six School Committee members all agree on what the town needs. But are the residents listening?

Photo by Bob Holmes