Swampscott School Vote Expected On Tentative Budget Agreement

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The creation of a $310,000 special education stabilization fund and $130,000 in restored technology spending through the town capital budget are two ways that town and school leaders hope to bridge a nearly $600,000 budget impasse ahead of the upcoming annual town meeting.

Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald and Superintendent Pamela Angelakis both signed the agreement — which the School Committee asked to have in writing at its last meeting on March 9 — that presents five conditions for the School Committee to approve a budget in line with the town-prescribed level of a 2.6 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2023.

The School Department had sought a 4.41 percent increase that restored the technology funding and also helped offset a 14 percent rise in obligations for out-of-district special education costs.

The School Committee's agenda has it set to vote on the 2.6 percent budget number Thursday night which will still include some reductions through efficiencies and other education model restructuring.

The School Committee had previously approved the 4.41 percent budget which was $584,742 higher than the number the town said could be sustained under current revenue projections.

"We have to work through these issues," Fitzgerald told the Select Board at its last meeting. "I do appreciate how complex it is to budget for the educational needs of our students. They are the largest department in the town budget. But we have many departments that are all facing complexities.

"These critical discussions will ultimately help us address future needs."

Fitzgerald noted that this specific agreement applies only to the disconnect over the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

While School Committee Chair Glenn Paster said at the March 9 meeting that there is "a fundamental underfunding to education in this community" the tentative agreement is set up largely to allow for specific one-time expenses and unforeseen cost increases while keeping the operating budget for overall educational services essentially level-funded from year to year as to not require escalating tax increases.

Fitzgerald said the $310,000 stabilization funding — which will be presented for a vote at the annual town meeting — is based on the 14 percent increase in state-mandated contribution to special education students.

"Over the last five years I have advocated that we establish a special education stabilization fund," Fitzgerald said. "These costs do grow at a higher percentage at times and they are oftentimes different from one year to another. ... Certainly, we have a statutory obligation to address the education needs of these students.

"It can just be very disruptive to stabilizing an operating budget. We want to have that stability because ultimately we want to have a stable tax levy."

The tentative agreement states that the School Department will seek Medicaid reimbursements that Fitzgerald said had not been pursued in the past but that does put an extra burden on the schools and that any additions in Chapter 70 funding will go to offset expected increases in staff health care costs.

The agreement said the town administrator and superintendent are "committed to meeting weekly to refine the details and the process for the Special Education Stabilization fund so that a clearly defined process and future funding sources can be agreed upon."

(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.)