Parents Tell School Committee: 2 Percent Increase is Not Enough

At Monday’s Public Hearing on the fiscal 2012 budget, parents pushed School Committee members to go beyond the 2 percent increase proposed by the budget subcommittee last week and get enough money to keep current programs and staffing.

The budget recommended last week by the Budget and Finance Subcommittee recommended requesting a 2 percent increase, which would include more than 10 job cuts, most of which would be teachers, said School Committee Vice Chairman John Portz.

A level service budget, which preserves the staffing levels and programs currently offered, would require a 4.75 percent increase, Portz said.

The School Committee heard from parents seeking to keep what the Watertown Public Schools have now, and a large contingent of students involved in the music programs who want that area to be protected from cuts.

David Stokes, co-chairman of the Lowell School Site Council, organized a parent meeting in March, and said that parents sent a clear message.

“First and foremost, do no harm to students,” Stokes said.

Stokes said that goal would not be reached with the proposed 2 percent increase.

“We understand it is not happening because of financial restraints, but we want what we have for our children now,” Stokes said.

While parents made it clear to the School Committee that they want programs to be preserved, they also expressed discontent with the role of the Town Council and town hall officials.

Janet Scudder, who as two children attending the high school, said she wrote to all the Town Councilors and noted that in the responses they wrote “the schools, not our schools,” she said.

“A lot of the response from the Town Council has been hostile,” Scudder said after the meeting.

She also encouraged the School Committee to fight fore more than 2 percent.

“I want to see some fight,” Scudder said. “It seems to me we have rolled over way too quickly on this.”

Lowell parent Alli McCrary said she has been baffled by the disconnect she has seen between school and town officials.

“There has been quibbling and squabbling over the most unnecessary things,” McCrary said. “What I want to know is do we have the money (to level fund the schools) and if we do what is happening on the town side.

“(Town officials) need to give more money and show a commitment to the schools, and you know that parents will be watching every move.”

Cutting any teachers would have a bad effect on the elementary schools, McCrary said. The average class size would rise by about two students, School Committee Chairman Anthony Paolillo said, which would mean classes of 21 to 22, depending on the school.

McCrary said there are already classes larger than that at some schools.

“We are talking up to 28 kids per class,” she said. “That is too many kids, in my opinion.”

A number of students who are in the WHS music program said they want to make sure the School Committee does not cut the music program at the elementary school level. The meeting came days after the high school music program earned a gold and three silver medals at the New York Heritage Music Festival.

WHS junior Alexander D’Amico said he has benefited from being in the music program, and he started when he was in elementary schools. If the elementary program was cut, he thinks many students would not develop the love of music.

“If it starts in middle school, not elementary school, far fewer students would join,” D’Amico said. “(In middle school) there is more homework, it is a more stressful time, and there is less chance a student would take up an instrument.”

After the meeting, Superintendent Ann Koufman said the music programs would not be cut totally with a 2 percent budget increase.

“We are trying not to cut programs,” Koufman said. “People are talking like we are going to cut the whole (music) program. We would never cut the whole thing. That was never the case, unless we went to 0 percent (budget increase).”

There could be some reduction in the music program, but not a complete cut at any level, Koufman said.

The School Committee did not comment on the comments from the public, and did not talk about budget Monday night. Tuesday, School Committee members will discuss the budget, and vote to set the budget request from the town. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Watertown High School lecture hall.