$50M School Budget Proposed, Up from $47M

To cover essentially the same programs  in the city’s schools next year, school Supt. Mark Donovan presented a budget of just over $50 million—$50.2 million to be exact—for the coming fiscal year last night to the School Committee.

That’s up $2.9 million—or 6 percent—from the current school budget of $47.3
million.

The two main cost drivers, Donovan told the committee:  $1.4 million in salary increases and $1.4 million for special education. Each represents a 3 percent increase in the budget, Donovan said.

The salary increases are based on negotiated contract increases.

Special education costs are projected to rise because of several factors, including higher tuitions for students who are educated out of the district, job grants expiring and lower tuitions from students who come in to Woburn schools for special education programs. 

Two new positions are proposed in the budget: a third assistant principal at the high school and another special education pre-school teacher.

The cost of a new high school assistant principal's position:  $85,000. The New England Association of Schools and colleges has recommended the position, according to budget materials, based on the high school’s size and programs.  The state is also requiring more teacher evaluation and supervision, according to the justification for the position.

The special education position would cost just under $44,000. More 3 and 4-year-olds are presenting with disabilities and the school system has the obligation to meet their needs, Donovan said.

The budget and percent of increase raised some eyebrows, Donovan told the committee, including those of Mayor Scott Galvin. Donovan said he met with Galvin yesterday about the school budget.

“When all of us saw the budget, our eyebrows went up,” Donovan said.

The mayor has given no fiscal guidelines to the superintendent, Donovan said, about the school budget for the fiscal year that will start on July 1.

Personnel accounts for $38 million of the proposed $50 million dollar budget, according to the budget summary; operating expenses, $12 million.  Special education is budgeted at $7.4 million of the personnel budget.

The committee will discuss the proposed new high school assistant principal’s position on March 13. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.

The committee will meet again on March 20, starting at 7 p.m., to discuss proposed elementary school budgets with school principals.

Committee members voted to schedule those meetings even though they have no directive from the mayor about the increase in the proposed school budget.

The committee must have the budget to the mayor by May 1.