COVID-19

Watertown School Budget Includes Additional Teachers, Funds to Deal with Impact of Pandemic & Diversity Issues

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The Watertown School Budget for the 2021-22 school year includes an additional fourth grade teacher, additional custodians for the new elementary schools and someone to help with the district’s technology. Superintendent Dede Galdston presented the $53.75 million Fiscal Year 2022 budget to the School Committee Monday night, and the Committee will make a vote on Thursday to approve the budget. It will then be presented to the Town Council later in April as part of the FY22 Town Budget. The budget includes 3.5 percent increase in funds from the town, or $1.81 million. To provide a level-service budget, the same level of services in FY22 as the prior year, will cost $53.53 million, Galdston said, leaving $216,157 in funds for additional positions or programs. Much of the increase will be used on salary increases, additional pay for teachers who moved up a step, and increases to deal with enrollment increases.

Schools

Several Positions Would be Added in Watertown School’s “Level Service” Budget

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The Watertown School schools have a little over $100,000 left in next year’s budget after preserving the current staffing and programs, the School Committee heard last week. Director of Finance and Operations Heidi Perkins presented the level-service budget last week, which would be $53.75 million including a 3.5 percent increase in funding from the Town. That amount does not include other funds such as state special education circuit breaker money, which will add about half of the increase that makes the total budget $57 million. While the budget will go up by about $1.8 million, Perkins said that only six percent of that will be available for new proposals. The level-service budget, however, does include some new positions.

School Budget

School Officials Cut Back Budget Request, But Maintain Staff

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With the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the economy, Watertown School officials reduced their request to the Town for Fiscal Year 2021 by more than $1 million. In March, when administrators of Watertown Public Schools first proposed a budget they built it on receiving a 5 percent increase, as was planned by the Town Manager in the fall. The Town budget is uncertain after the pandemic hit, but it is expected to be negatively impacted by both lower state aid and local option taxes on restaurants and hotels. On Monday, Superintendent Dede Galdston presented the School Committee some reductions from the $52.96 million budget presented in March — a 5 percent increase. The new proposed budget is $51.93 million, up 2.9 percent from the last budget.

Fiscal 2021 Budget

Prelim School Budget Adds Handful of Positions, Most of Increase Goes to “Level Service”

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The School Committee got the first look at next year’s school budget, and while the Town Manager has allotted a 5 percent increase, most of the increase will be used to maintain the same level of services as the current school year. There will be a handful of positions added to the district. On Monday night, Heidi Perkins, the district’s Director of Finance and Operations, told the School Committee that nearly 95 percent of the $2.52 million increase for Fiscal Year 2021 (the 2020-21 school year) will go to maintaining a level service budget. The total budget is $52.9 million. “Available for the FY21 budget priorities will be $145,022, or 5.8 percent of the 5 percent increase,” Perkins said.

Schools

Kindergarten Enrollment Expected to be Down, District Adding PreK Class

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Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown will have a second PreK class next year. Registration for kindergarten has been lower that expected, allowing School officials to use money on other things. Meanwhile, space is available to add another PreK class for Watertown students. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee about the changes to next year’s school budget made possible by the lower enrollment on Monday night. When the first Fiscal Year 2020 budget project was presented two weeks ago, four new teaching positions were included to accommodate enrollment growth at certain levels.

Around Town

Watertown Schools Getting 5% Budget Increase; Most Will Go to Staff, Minuteman

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Once again, the Town will include a 5 percent increase in education funding in Watertown’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget — a $2.4 million increase — but much of that will be required to maintain the current education program and services, along with meeting an increase in the cost of sending students to Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School. Last week, the School Committee heard a budget presentation from Superintendent Dede Galdston, who said that all but about $173,000 of the increase would be used on maintaining the level services budget and paying for the increase in Minuteman tuition. Some staff additions are still planned with the remaining money. New Staff

Among the additions in the Fiscal 2020 budget are two curriculum coaches at Watertown Middle School: one for literacy and the other for math. Similar positions have been successful in other schools, Galdston said.

Schools

Proposed School Budget Adds Some New Positions, Saves by Eliminating Others

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Superintendent Dede Galdston presented a $48 million budget to the School Committee that would include a $2.2 million (4.9 percent) increase over the current school year and would add some positions but also eliminate some positions on the book without any layoffs. The Fiscal 2019 (2018-19 School Year) increase fits within the 5 percent funding increase that Town Manager Michael Driscoll has put in the overall Town Budget for education. “Watertown is very generous with it schools,” Galdston said. “A 5 percent increase is phenomenal.” The School Budget would need an increase of 4.1 percent would provide “level services” for the Watertown Public Schools, leaving $414,500 for new initiatives, but Galdston rearranged and restructure items in the budget to make another $734,000 available for new initiatives.

School Budget

Watertown School Budget Includes Staff Cuts Despite Increasing Funds

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The Watertown Schools will lose several positions in the 2017-18 school year as school officials look to control the increasing costs, but classes will still be under the class-size guidelines in the elementary schools. Interim Superintendent John Brackett presented the budget to the School Committee Monday night. The total budget would be $45.71 million, which is 5 percent above the current year’s budget. It comes in more than $700,000 below the requests from principals and department heads. Interim Business Manager Mary DeLai said that four percent of the increase comes from staff salary and compensation.