PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer is asking the School Department to pare down its budget request even further.

 

The current proposal calls for a $2.157 million increase from city coffers, which represents a 3.7 percent hike over this year.

 

Tyer told the School Committee on Wednesday night that she wants "find a balance" between the requested $3.7 percent increase and the number of cuts it would take to get down to a 2.5 percent increase.

 

"The next round of reductions proposed was a reduction to 2.5 percent, which is not possible for us to cut that deeply and provide a public education system that we all believe we need to deliver. But, is there something between 3.7 percent and 2.5 percent that the School Committee can feel comfortable with and responsive to the teachers, principals, and the families we educate?" Tyer said.

 

"I'm hoping over the next couple weeks we can find a balance."

 

Administrators had proposed a budget that called for some increases to respond to specific requests from principals. Those include a dean of students for Allendale, summer school program increase, extended hours for elementary school secretaries, an English Language Learners teacher at Crosby, permanent substitute teachers, and career counselors for the two high schools.

 

Since then the ELL teacher, extra school secretary hours, and permanent substitutes were pulled from the budget — for a $133,000 decrease. The other additions add up to less than $150,000 of the total increase. The $2.157 million is mostly comprised of $1.68 million in contractual agreements. The city has contracts in place with the United Educators of Pittsfield, the Educational Administrators Association, and the bus drivers and attendants. The School Committee is in negotiations with the paraprofessionals, clerical, custodians, and cafeteria. Those contracts call for increases in salaries. 

 

Another $440,000 is added for special education tuition increases and another $228,000 for community coordinator positions, which had previously been grant funded. The district also lost $187,000 in revenue reductions from federal and state sources.

 

The district is seeing decreases in utilities costs to the tune of $460,000 and three staff positions were reduced, cutting another additional $140,000. 

 

"We don't put money into silly things. We put money into serious things that will help students and teachers learn," Superintendent Jason McCandless said.

 

The 2.5 percent cuts, according to McCandless, would include cutting 25 or so positions. Below that, to get to a 2 percent increase, McCandless said there'd have to be dramatic considerations such as the possibility of closing a school — a move the School Committee believes would lead to more students choosing out to other districts.

 

McCandless focused on three population sectors — English language learners, students with special needs, and "economically disadvantaged" — to argue that while enrollment in declining, the cost to educate the students is rising.

 

"Our high needs enrollment has gone up and has gone up in some dramatic ways," McCandless said.

 

In 2002, the number of students "economically disadvantaged" was 32.7 percent and that has grown to 44.4 percent. McCandless said recently the state changed that classification and under the old classification, the city would now have close to 60 percent. The special education population has risen from 14.5 percent to 20.3 percent and ELL students rose from .6 percent to 4.6 percent.

 

"Student enrollment drops are not distributed evenly," McCandless said, refuting the idea that an elementary school could be closed because of few students. He said the city hasn't lost the "critical mass" needed for a school closing to make sense.

 

School Committee member Pamela Farron said, "the population is changing. It is not the schools of yesterday, or 10 years ago, or 20 years ago."

 

The school budget rose by about $2 million last year, but with obligations McCandless said that ultimately led to $2 million in other programs being cut. This year's $60.6 million doesn't restore any of those programs.

 

"Things have been left on the cutting room floor already," School Committee member Cynthia Taylor said.

 

School Committee member Anthony Riello said any further cuts would be to programs, teachers, and items the districts "needs" not wants.

 

"We're through the nice to haves and now we're cutting the need to haves," he said. "The nice to haves have been gone for a while."

 

During the public hearing, only local gadfly Craig Gaetani spoke, advocating for more reductions to school spending. The School Committee and McCandless both said any further cuts would jeopardize the quality of service provided.

 

"No one likes their taxes to go up but you get what you pay for," said Daniel Elias. "It comes down to the level of service we expect as a community."

 

The same argument can be said from other departments and the mayor specifically cited growing needs in the Police Department. Tyer said she is looking to reallocate city spending to focus on her administration's priorities.

 

"I'm a strong supporter of education but I'm also representing the entire municipal budget and taking into consideration all of the priorities," Tyer said.

 

The mayor and the superintendent said they'd be discussing the proposal further before the April 27 vote of the School Committee.

 

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