Parents, Teachers Worried by Budget Presented by Watertown Superintendent

Concerned parents and teachers came to hear Superintendent Ann Koufman present her school budget for fiscal 2012 Monday night in the lecture hall in Watertown High School.

The amount of money that will be coming the to Watertown, but Koufman said she does not expect to get the 8.71 percent budget increase needed “best move the district moving forward.”

“The 8.71 percent scenario, is impossible in this financial climate,” Koufman said.

Koufman presented three other scenarios, . One would keep the current staff and programs  (level service) another would have a 2 percent increase and the last would have no budget increase.

Where the budget ends up depends on many factors, including how much local aid the state provides Watertown and if the Legislature increases the amount paid into the special education circuit breaker.

The teachers contract also remains unapproved by the School Committee. The agreement reached by the negotiating team and the teacher’s union calls for a 1.5 percent increase for teachers.

The 2 percent and 0 percent scenarios would include some layoffs, even under the best of circumstances, and at worst, the School Committee would have to close down an elementary school, make dozens of layoffs and cut programs, she said.

Possibility of Closing a School

With Cunniff being the smallest elementary school, parents from that school came out, worried that theirs might be the one targeted for closing.

Koufman told the parents that the school closing is a last resort, and said she hopes it does not come to that.

“It is not something we want to do,” Koufman said. “It’s not that we want to, but we do have to cost it out (to see how much would be saved).”

School officials are looking for other ideas, Koufman said, and she invited people to write them down on cards at the meeting, or submit them electronically to school officials. They will also take questions about the budget process.

Teachers Upset by Proposal

A number of teachers spoke out about the declining morale due to the lack of a contract and now talk of layoffs. Some said they felt the School Committee was disrespecting them by not approving the contract after 18 months of negotiations.

There will be jobs lost, Koufman said, if they district does not get a significant budget increase. The 2 percent scenario calls for 8 to 10 classroom teachers and 5 to 7 non-classroom teaching jobs to be cut. With no budget increase, the numbers would be as high as 32, Koufman said.

School Commmitte Vice Chairman John Portz, who was on the negotiating team, said the budge was not meant to insult teachers.

“In no way is this supposed to be disrespectful toward teachers,” Portz said. “I understand the frustration, but the alternative was not to sign the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) and keep negotiating. We thought it was best to try to move forward.”

Competing Projects?

As they hear that teachers might be laid off, high school electives might be cut back and music programs trimmed, parents also have been getting messages about supporting the renovation of Victory Field.

The project costs $3 million, but Town Council President Mark Sideris (who also sits on the School Committee) said about half will be raised from private donations and fees, while the rest will be paid over 20 years or more.

Sideris said the project has been in the planning for four years, and is part of the town’s efforts to maintain facilities.

“We don’t want to get in the position where we have town facilities in such bad shape it costs twice as much to bring it where it needs to be,” Sideris said.

If Watertown cuts back things like electives and music, some parents said they would have to consider moving to another community that has those things.

School Committee Chairman Anthony Paolillo said Watertown is not alone in facing a bad budget situation.

“Every community is facing this,” Paolillo said.

School Committee member Eileen Hsu-Balzer said she knows about what it is like to have her children's school close, and lose not only the school but the community built around it. She asked people not to point fingers.

"Something I have seen is people are actively looking for a bad guy, but we are all in it," Hsu-Balzer said. "We don't have enough money. We are we going to have to lay off people and find savings. We all have to work together."

Other Options

There was talk of ways to have parents pay more into the district, but Koufman said the public schools are not allowed to charge any kind of tuition.

Another option would be to have a Proposition 2-1/2 tax override to allow town officials to raise the tax rate more than the 2.5 percent allowed by state law. Portz said Watertown has only done that once, to pay for a school renovation project. Also, that is out of the School Committee’s control – the Town Council must vote to have an override.

The School Committee will have a public hearing on the budget on April 11, and will make a final vote at a subsequent meeting. The budget will also be discussed at the April 4 School Committee meeting.