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School slides in with ‘responsive’ budget
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN — The school committee Tuesday approved a budget that came in below level-funded.
Committee members unanimously approved a $3.65 million budget that is $4,435 below the fiscal year 2008 budget. The committee was scheduled to meet with the finance committee and board of selectmen Wednesday to discuss the financial statement. The budget will be presented to voters at the April 7 Town Meeting.
School Supt. Jessica Waugh said the district was able to come in under level-funded by eliminating one secretarial position and cutting the textbook budget by almost 29 percent in Veterans Memorial Elementary School and 50 percent in the high school. In addition, Waugh will replace two elementary school teachers at a lower pay scale, eliminate the adult education program and cut her hours, as well as Dr. Floriano Pavao, district principal, by 20 percent with a corresponding decrease in salary.
“These are tough times,” Waugh said. “It’s tough around money. This is a responsive budget.”
The first budget Waugh presented to the school committee last month was approximately $133,000 over level-funded. Since then, the committee has used what it called creative thinking to reduce anticipated expenses by over $134,000.
“That [$4,435] is a lot of money to be under when you’re negotiating three union contracts,” Waugh said.
Except for last year, when the school committee reduced its budget $500,000 below level-funded, the finance committee has voted to recommend to voters that they reject the school budget for the past several years. Worries about rising per-pupil costs and, until this year, a declining enrollment has worried FinCom members about the burden of maintaining a two-school district.
FinCom also said recently that it believed a discussion about a possible regionalization-type agreement for the high school with Nauset Regional School District should be undertaken.
psowers@provincetownbanner.com
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Feb 28th, 2008