Schools

Schools Need $1.75 Million to Maintain Programs, Special Ed Costs Rising

By |

The Watertown Schools will need $1.75 million more next year to maintain the current staffing and programs, according to school officials, and special education costs are expected to grow in FY 2018 and beyond. The total FY18 Level Service Budget is $45,332,330 representing a 4 percent increase over FY17 (the current school year), or $1,755,330 more, said Mary C. DeLai, interim Director of Business Services. The amount includes cost of living adjustments and step increases provided in union contracts. In October, Town Manager Michael Driscoll included a 5 percent increase for the schools in his preliminary FY18 Town Budget. One area that DeLai anticipates where costs will increase is special education.

Schools

Superintendent Presents Budget Priorities for What Could be a Challenging Year

By |

The Watertown School budget could be a tight one during the 2017-18 school year, Interim Superintendent John Brackett told the School Committee Monday night. He added that any additions to the budget might require reductions other places. The budget process started in December with subcommittee hearings, and Monday night Brackett presented the budget priorities to the entire School Committee. “The days of adding programs or staff without looking at what we are doing, I think, are beyond us,” Brackett said. “The budget is being pressured just to keep level services.”

Fiscal 2018 Budget

Watertown Budget Has Increases for Town, School; Officials Must Find $1.8 Million More

By |

Next year’s town budget calls for a healthy increase for town departments and even larger for the schools, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said Tuesday night, but there will be some work to do to make up a shortfall of nearly $2 million before the budget is adopted in the spring. Watertown’s total operating budget for Fiscal Year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018) presented to the Town Council was $133.3 million, but the forecast revenue is $131.5 million, Driscoll said. See the budget documents here. The budget calls for a 2.5 percent increase for municipal departments, including Police and Fire, Driscoll said. The Watertown Public Schools would receive a 5 percent increase.

Schools

Town Council Likes Direction Which Watertown Schools are Heading

By |

Town Councilors liked what they heard from Watertown School officials, who discussed plans to teach foreign language in the elementary schools, giving all students laptops and other initiatives during the school budget hearing. The town’s portion of the Fiscal 2017 school budget is $43.57 million, plus the schools will receive $375,000 in money for one-time curriculum initiatives, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. The schools will add 34 positions which will add up to the equivalent of 20.25 full-time employees, according to Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. Among the positions are a district Elementary Math & Science Coordinator, two music teachers, a high school engineering teacher, an hourly garden coordinator, a maker space assistant for the middle school and a journalism instructor at the high school. After years of cutting positions, and restoring these jobs, Fitzgerald said the district can now look at adding programs.

“I think we are turning the corner from reinstatement to growth, and I think that is great,” Fitzgerald said.

School Budget

Watertown School Committee Holding Hearing on School Budget

By |

The Watertown School Committee will hold a public hearing on next year’s school budget on April 4. 

Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald’s office sent out the following notice:

In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 71, Section 38N, the Watertown School Committee will hold a Public Hearing on its proposed FY2017 Budget on Monday, April 4, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., in the Mastrangelo Council Chambers, Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472. A copy of the FY2017 Proposed Budget will be available to the public in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools and on the Watertown Public Schools website, watertown.k12.ma.us, forty-eight (48) hours before the date of the public meeting.

Schools

Report Finds Watertown Schools Need to Pay Special Attention to Finances, Special Ed

By |

A consultant hired to review the financial mishaps of the Watertown Public Schools from a couple years ago presented recommendations to improve financial practices and also looked deeply at the special education program – a high cost area for the district. Monday night, the School Committee and Town Council received the report from RSM US. The group interviewed more than 50 people and spent months working on the report, said Craig Finley, the project lead. While there are nearly 30 recommendations (see the report here) to improve what’s being done in the Watertown schools, Finley said in general they are in good shape. “The biggest thing we foundation here is strong support of the schools,” said Finley, who worked in public schools, including as an assistant superintendent in the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District.

Schools

See What School Officials Included in the Budget Request for 2015-16

By |

Watertown school officials have requested a $2.7 million increase for the 2015-16 school year, which includes more than 20 new jobs, new equipment and bolstering technology in the town’s public schools. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the budget includes teachers to reduce class sizes at Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools, teachers at the high school to strengthen the computer science and environmental science programs, and an Arabic teacher at the high school. The $41.93 million budget, a 6.87 percent increase from 20141-15, was presented to the School Committee on Monday night. Another area of focus for the budget is student support. This includes adding part-time psychologists at Cunniff and Lowell schools, a part time school adjustment counselor at Watertown Middle School, and two part-time psychologists and a behavioral specialist for the special education program.

Schools

Recommended Watertown School Budget Includes 21 More Staff Members

By |

The School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee will submit a budget that would be $2.695 million more than the current school year and would include more than 20 additional teachers and other staff. 

The total budget for Fiscal 2016 (the 2015-16 school year) will be $41.9 million. The Public Hearing on the FY 16 budget will be held at the next School Committee meeting on April 6 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. Among the new staff requests are one teach each for Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools. These teachers will help avoid large class sizes, said Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald.  

Librarians will also be added to Hosmer, Cunniff, and Watertown Middle School.