Government

New Strategies to Fund Watertown Schools Sought

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Instead of relying on the state and town for money to run the schools, Watertown officials are searching for new ways to pay for equipment and even for staff. The Fiscal 2015 school request is $6 million higher than last year, but the town will not likely be able to cover the whole request, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said Tuesday. Instead, school officials will have to prioritize what they want in the request. Meanwhile, the Town Council’s Education and School System subcommittee brainstormed ways to come up with more money for the town’s schools. They examined ideas provided by the Watertown Strong Schools advocacy group in a report (read the report here, with funding ideas on Page 57).

Around Town

Arabic Classes in Watertown Schools Returning for a Second Year

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Watertown middle and high school students have a rare opportunity to learn the Arabic language, and they will be able to for at least another year. The grant that brought a teacher from Egypt to Watertown has been renewed for a second year, said Watertown Middle School Principal Kimo Carter. The grant program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department and targets languages believed to be important for the future, including Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. “We got another grant from the Teachers of Critical Language Program,” Carter said. “Another teacher from Egypt will teach Arabic at the middle school and high school next year. The reason why we got it is because of the success of the program.”

Around Town

Councilors Talk About Lowering Capital Budget to Help Fund Schools

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With a large budget request by the Watertown Public Schools, some Town Councilors asked if some of the increase for the schools could be found by cutting capital spending. Councilor Tony Palomba brought up the subject during Tuesday’s Council meeting when the Fiscal 2015 capital budget came up. He suggested cutting down the amount of money borrowed by the town for building projects and capital purchases – such as vehicles. “I have been told there is no relationship between the operational and capital budgets. That may be true, but I know when I borrow money I have to pay it back to the bank, and with interest,” Palomba said.

Government

See How Much the School Committee Approved for the School Budget

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Watertown Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald asked for a bigger budget, and she got what she asked for. Now school officials and parents will have to wait to see if they get the funding. Last week Fitzgerald said the schools need $46 million in Fiscal 2015 to provide the type of education that school officials believe Watertown’s children need. That would require a $42 million appropriation from the town. The amount is $6 million and 16 percent higher than Fiscal 2014 (the current year).

Government

Watertown School Budget, High School Renovation on Tap Monday

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The Watertown school budget will be on tap Monday night for the School Committee, and y0u can have your voice heard. The public hearing on the Fiscal 2015 school budget will be held Monday night at 7:15 p.m. in Town Hall. The School Committee must decide how much to request from the Town Council and Town Manager Michael Driscoll. Last week, Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said she believes the district needs to add $6 million to this year’s budget to “move the district forward the way we would like it to go.” That would be an increase of more than 16 percent.

Schools

Schools Superintendent: This is the True Cost of Running a District

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The School Committee got the final recommended budget from school staff, and Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said it is the amount required to run the district and educate students the way she believes is right. The total amount recommended is $46.48 million for the 2014-15 school year (Fiscal 2015). With about 3.5 million offset by grants and other funds, the town’s share would be about $43 million – or about $6 million more than the previous year. “This is the true cost of running a school district,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re at the tipping point.

Around Town

Rep. Hecht Gives Forecast of Special Ed Circuit Breaker Funding

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State Rep. Jonathan Hecht said the Governor’s budget does not fully fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker, but he hopes the Legislature can fix that. 

One of the main topics of discussion during the School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee meetings over the past week has been special education funding. The state chips in a significant amount for the most expensive services for special needs students – those costing $41,000 or more a year, according to Student Services Director Arlene Shainker. The cost is based on “four times the state average foundation budget per pupil as calculated under the Chapter 70 education funding law,” according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. When fully funded, the state provides 75 percent reimbursement for the amount over $60,000. Last year the state fully funded the program with $250 million (Watertown received more than $2 million), but this year the governor’s budget is level funded, Hecht said.

Around Town

Watertown School Supporters Call for Stabilization of Special Education Costs

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By Charlie Breitrose

The uncertainty of how much special education will cost the Watertown Public Schools each year has been a thorn in the side of school administrators and parents alike, and now supporters of the school want to establish a stabilization fund to deal with unexpected costs. The town must provide education for students with special needs from the age of 3 through high school, and in some cases until the age of 22. Some students attend programs in Watertown, but others attend schools outside of town which often have high price tags. This year alone, the district got 12 students who they had not anticipated who required out-of-district programs, said Student Services Director Arlene Shainker said at the School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting on Monday night. That number is higher than most years.