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School Committee wrestles with $700,000 deficit |
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Written by Josh Lobel
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Wednesday, 10 January 2007 |
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Page 4 of 10
#6 Fees to cover programs we want but can't afford
I don't want to increase any fees, but we may be forced to look at these areas.
Athletic fees are very low. Full-day kindergarten fees are very low. We don't have extracurricular fees. Most fees don't increase each year, but our costs do
Special Education -- A Wild Card: Recent changes in SPED spending (2 years) (these numbers are estimates):
TA's: $650,000
Out-of-district tuitions: $450,000
Sped transportation: $150,000
In-district teachers/service providers: $350,000
Administrators: $80,000
Team chair/testers: $165,000
Total: More thanm $1,845,000
I am not blaming special ed -- the department or the kids. We have a moral and legal obligation to help these children. I don't know that most of this spending helps kids learn more. I think a lot of the focus is hyper attention to this area.
We are still in the process of bringing order to this area -- putting in systems, improving the functions of the special ed department.
I don't think there's waste or frivolous spending going on here, but as we reorganize, perhaps we can get more bang for our buck in this area. As I talk to other superintendents, most are seeing double-digit growth in costs in special ed -- we are not unique.
One thing about special ed spending, is that the school committee doesn't vote on approving the expenses -- most of them are legally mandated.
What reserves for special ed growth is reasonable? How fast can we manage special ed costs without affecting our legal and moral obligations to students?
We created a $350,000 reserve fund for special ed last year -- we will definitely be tapping into that, but can't say yet how much we will need. Making changes in this area take time to reap benefits in actual savings. It is a large ship to turn.
We need to increase expenditures in some areas:
School Resource Officer (pilot program at high school -- has worked very well, this year police dept has paid for this).
Drug and alcohol counseling for at -risk students:
Serving academically able students. This is not a specifically a goal for this year, but hoping that for next year it may be.
If literacy lab is good, why not a math lab? Literacy lab has been a great success this year. We helped create it by moving English teachers from 4-class load to 5-class load. It would seem math lab would be equal benefit.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 22 June 2007 )
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