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Special
Education Director’s Budget Commentary
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The Special Education Department is
proposing to maintain programs currently in place. Additional requests in this year’s budget are
limited to required specialized services/supplies/equipment in students’
Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The
District’s goals to improve MCAS scores and engage all students in their
learning, particularly those in danger of not graduating, continue to be addressed
through individualized academic instruction tied to student needs as well as
through comprehensive practical and social skills development and counseling.
HIGH SCHOOL STAFFING CHANGES (See page 33.)
One tutor at the High School is being
transferred to the Middle School to help meet the needs of a large incoming 7th
grade class.
MIDDLE SCHOOL STAFFING CHANGES (See page 23.)
The FY08
budget included an additional special education teacher at the Middle School to
provide services to a student with severe special education needs who moved
into the District. This position was
paid for with grant funds and will continue to be funded through the grant in
FY09. The District’s Speech and Language
Pathologist is returning from a leave of absence and will be working a .6
schedule in the Middle School, again, to meet the needs of new special
education students in the incoming 7th grade class. Additionally, a
tutor is being transferred from the High School to the Middle School next year
to accommodate incoming 7th grade special education students.
DISTRICT
SATFFING CHANGES (See page 14.)
There are no changes to District-wide staffing.
OPERATIONS
Most
of the costs associated with special education programs and services are
related directly to staff to meet student needs as outlined in their IEPs. Another significant portion of the special
education budget pays for tuition and transportation costs for students who
require placement in private schools or collaboratives. The level of funding required in FY09 is
higher than in FY08. The explanation for
this increase is summarized as follows:
Tuition, Collaboratives, and Transportation
Increase in Tuition/Transportation . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$ 347,914
(Circuit Breaker has been factored in.)
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Special
Education Director’s Budget Commentary – Cont.
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Incoming 7th graders . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 3
students
(outside placements)
Graduates (outside
placements) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 students
Moved
Into District (outside
placement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 1 student
Un-graded
(outside placements for students over 18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . 4 new students; 7 in total
SUMMARY
We expect to see improvement in MCAS performance on the part of special education students as well as an increase in student engagement behaviors from students at-risk of not graduating. MCAS preparation as well as remedial reading, writing, and math skills development will continue to be a focus of the department.
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Special
Education Enrollment Data & Trends
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The number of students requiring special education services for the
entering class of 2014 is significantly larger than last year’s, and the level
and intensity of services required by these students is greater. As can be seen in the table below, the
percentage of students district-wide with special education needs remains
relatively constant from year-to-year, and the trend of more students requiring
services in early grades than upper ones continues. Not reflected in the chart below, but
relevant to an understanding of the costs associated with special education
services, is the increase in intensity of special education students’ needs. It is not uncommon for an average middle
school student to require multiple services from a variety of service providers
each and every school day. This increase
in intensity of service needs can be seen especially in the area of
psychological and counseling services, including evaluation and crisis management.
Special
Education Enrollment Data & Trends
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District–Level
Special Education Services
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Superintendent’s
Budget Commentary on District
Other Instructional Services
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The
Other Instructional Services Cost Center is comprised of three district-level
programs that provide support for the academic program and/or support
instruction. These programs are
Instructional Services, Psychological Services, and Development Office.
The
Instructional Services budget includes costs associated with state and
federally mandated programs/services for regular education students both in-
and out-of-district. This part of the
budget is decreasing by $67,385, due to a reduction of one position, an
anticipated reduction in the State’s assessment for School Choice, Charter
& Other Tuition, and a reduction in costs related to 504-accommodation
plans. The nurse required to meet an
individual student’s 504-accommodation plan will no longer be needed. A charge of $16,423, which is passed onto us
by the State and over which we have no control, for School Choice, Charter, and
Other Tuition, is $20,136 less than this year’s assessment. Costs associated with 504-accommodation
plans are reflected here, and show a decrease of $11,300.
This
Instructional Services category also includes $18,000 for curriculum
development, earmarking $10,500 of the total for special summer project
assignments for department heads to plan improvements in curriculum and
instruction, designed primarily to meet obligations associated with
accreditation, alignment of curriculum with state standards, data analysis for
instructional improvement, and implementation of district/school goals. It also includes $7,500 for summer curriculum
work, including the purchase of related instructional materials, to be done by
teachers who will be designing new interdisciplinary courses. The teachers will develop courses to enable
students to more readily learn abstract subject matter and apply their learning
in more concrete ways.
Costs
associated with the delivery of district-wide regular education psychological
services appear in the Psychological Services budget, which funds services
provided by Tri-Town Council. They also
receive funding for services to special education students through the Special
Education Department budget, paid for through a grant. The district is working with representative
members of the Board of T-TC as they move forward with their plans for
reorganization.
Costs
associated with staff development appear in the Development Office budget,
which is being level funded for FY09. We
will continue to rely on grants to supplement District funds for professional
development in FY09, as we did this year.
The funds remaining in the Consultants and Other Service Providers line
pays primarily for training mandated by the State.
A
brief synopsis of the budget proposal for each program is provided below.
Instructional Services
SALARIES
The
Stipends line is level-funded and covers stipends for positions such as Middle
School and High School Health Coordinators, Title IX Coordinator, 504
Coordinators, etc.
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Superintendent’s
Budget Commentary on District
Other Instructional Services - Continued
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The
504 Salaries line is reduced by $35,862 because we no longer will need the
private duty nurse required to meet a student’s 504-accommodation plan. The remaining $10,000 is needed for home
instruction and transportation costs for students on 504-accommodation plans.
OPERATIONS
School Choice, Charter
and Other Tuition, the State-imposed assessment to our District for school
choice as listed on the Cherry Sheet, is being reduced by $20,136, based on the Governor’s
proposed budget.
The
504 Plan line is another unfunded mandate that requires us to make “reasonable
accommodations” in order to provide access to programs and services offered by
the District to those students, staff, and general public who meet certain
criteria. Our conservative estimate for
FY09 is $22,000, which is a decrease of $11,300, when compared with what we
project we must spend in FY08.
Psychological Services
OPERATIONS
The
Consultants and Other Service Providers section of the budget reflects level-funding
for Tri-Town Council. The District’s
entire contract with Tri-Town Council is $178,694, with some of it being funded
out of the O&M budget and some of it coming out of a Special Education
grant.
Development Office
SALARIES
The
only remaining salary line being funded is Substitutes, which covers the cost
when teachers are participating in professional development activities
occurring during school time.
OPERATIONS
The
Memberships and Subscriptions, Conferences and Accommodations, Tuition Reimbursement,
Consultants and Other Service Providers lines cover costs associated with
memberships in professional organizations, in- and out-of-district professional
development activities, course reimbursements, and state and federal mandated
training. These categories all are being
level-funded in FY09.
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Other
Instructional Services
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Budget
Commentary on District - General Administration
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General
Administration covers operational expenses related to the School Committee and
the Superintendent’s office. There are
no staffing changes requested in the FY09 budget proposal for this cost
center. All line items are being
level-funded except for Maintenance, Rentals & Fees, where an increase of
$760 is requested to cover rising costs.
SCHOOL
COMMITTEE OPERATIONS
Salaries: The salary for
the secretary to the School Committee does not reflect a COLA.
Other Published
Materials: School
Committee resource books are purchased from this line item, which has been
level-funded.
Consumables: Paper and supplies for School Committee
meetings and activities are funded from this line item, which is level-funded.
Consultants and
Other Service Providers: When the School
Committee requires advice, support, or services from an outside vendor, this
account is used. It, too, is being
level-funded.
Legal
Settlements and Service: The
Legal settlements line indicates $0 funding in the budget. The School Committee has appropriated funds
from E&D to cover the cost of labor counsel for contract negotiations.
Staff
Development: The cost of
membership in the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and the
activities associated therewith, including state-mandated training, are funded
from this account.
SUPERINTENDENT’S
OFFICE OPERATIONS
Salaries: Salary lines have not been adjusted to
reflect a COLA for FY09
Other
Published Material: Publications
related to school administration, legal matters related to personnel management
and education, and educational studies and trends are funded from this account.
Consumables: General office supplies for the entire
Central Office are funded through this account.
Maintenance,
rentals, and fees: This covers costs associated with copiers and other equipment and reflects
an increase of $760.
Staff
Development: Conferences,
memberships, workshops, and related travel for the Superintendent are paid for
from this account.
Printing: Letterhead, envelopes, and district forms are
paid for from this account.
Postage: This covers the cost of postage for mailings
from the Superintendent’s office.
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General Administration
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Chief
Financial Officer’s Budget Commentary
Business and Other Support Services
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The
Business and
Business and Finance
SALARIES
The
District hired a new accountant in FY08 and budgeted accordingly for this
transition. Consequently, the salaries
in FY09 are less than in FY08.
OPERATIONS
Consultants
and Other Service Providers: The funds requested on this line will pay for
an outside vendor to issue payroll and third party checks, submit payroll
taxes, and file related tax and retirement reports, as well as provide a
database module for tracking human resource information.
Staff
Development: Funding in this line pays for memberships in
associations that offer training and resources related to municipal and school
business operations.
Auditing:
Funding on this line pays for three independent audits: the annual audit
of the District’s financial statements, the audit of the District’s pupil and
financial report submitted to the state, and an audit of student activity
funds. The contract with the Auditing
firm is higher in FY09 than it was in FY08.
Banking
and Other Fees: Beginning in FY05, the liability for IRS
related issues shifted to the outside vendor, as noted in the Consultants and
Other Service Providers narrative above.
Property & Liability:
MIIA, the District’s insurance carrier, notified us that the rates for
our Property and Liability insurance remain about the same in FY09 because of a
reevaluation of our property and assets that occurred recently.
Human Resources and Benefits
SALARIES
Funds
in the Salary Reserve line pay for employee severance, contractual obligations
not tied directly to an individual, and extra class sections at the High
School. Once the master schedule is
created, money is dispersed to other salary accounts. The balance of money remaining on this line
at the end of the fiscal year represents severance costs.
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Chief
Financial Officer’s Budget Commentary
Business and Other Support Services -
Continued
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OPERATIONS
Workers’
Compensation: This line reflects a 3 % increase over
the current funding level.
Unemployment:
The cost of unemployment varies from year to year depending on the number
of staff the District elects not to re-hire.
In FY09, the increase is for non-renewals and staff reductions as noted
in other sections in the budget proposal.
Active
& Retired Employee Benefits: Blue Cross Blue Shield informed us that
the rate increase for FY09 will be 5.7 % for our health insurance plans, 4.22 %
for dental, and .37% for Medex. The District
was able to offset a portion of this increase by reducing the number of
eligible staff through consolidation of positions, outsourcing, and reducing
the percentage of the District’s contribution for employees’ health
insurance. The net result is an overall
increase of 4.9 % for active employee benefits—much more favorable than recent
double-digit increases. With the
increase of staff retiring, the cost for retiree benefits has nearly tripled
since FY05. Total retirees in FY05 were
109; in FY09 we have 157. The increase
for retired employee benefits in FY09 is 7.5%.
Retirement
Contributions: The Retirement Contributions line is
comprised of the Essex County Retirement Assessment, the District’s 403b
contribution, and FICA Medicare taxes.
Our Medicare tax obligation will increase in FY09, as will our
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Business and Other Support Services
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Chief
Financial Officer’s Budget Commentary
Business and Other Support Services -
Continued
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Management
Information Systems (MIS)
SALARIES
In FY08 the MIS
department was reorganized. The MIS
Director and Network Administrator positions were consolidated into one
position. In addition, a Middle School
Lab Assistant was replaced with a Help–Desk Administrative Assistant. The team is completed with 2.4
technicians. In FY08, the .4 technician
was filled by work study students. In
FY09, this position will be filled by a part-time technician who will work
after school hours. All MIS staff
members now work year-round; and during the school year, there now is coverage
from 7AM until 10:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
OPERATIONS
Other Published Materials (Software)
In FY09, the 3
year licensing agreement with Microsoft will be up for renewal. Other licenses funded through the MIS
department includes software for antivirus protection, web filtering,
anti-spam, accounting, student records, library management, and other subject
specific programs (CAD, Adobe Design, etc.).
Consumable Supplies
The majority of
the consumable supplies budget is used to purchase replacement cartridges,
toner, and drum kits for printers. In
addition, supplies such as batteries, disposable and re-writeable media,
assorted cables, and projector bulbs are funded through the MIS Department
budget.
Durable Goods
These funds
provide the department with the parts needed to repair computers, peripheral
devices, telecommunication, and audio-visual equipment that break during the
year.
Contracted Services
This category
represents both emergency and proactive technical
Staff Development
It is necessary
to provide training and staff development funds so that staff in the MIS
department can maintain appropriate certifications and stay current with
software and hardware changes. Some of
the money will be used to purchase resource guides and in-house training
modules for equipment, and some will be used for seminars and training offered
off-site.
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Chief
Financial Officer’s Budget Commentary
Business and Other Support Services -
Continued
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Telephones
The telephone
line funds costs associated with providing cell phone, land line, voice mail,
beeper, and substitute caller phone service to the District.
Maintenance, Rentals & Fees
The maintenance,
rentals, and fees line funds costs associated with warranties for servers and
switching equipment, telecommunications equipment support contracts, and
services such as real-time anti-spam and anti-virus updates. It also includes funding for the District’s
connection to the Internet.
Regular Education Transportation
The District
currently provides 28 bus runs to the three towns. Based on the ridership this fall, no
additional buses are being requested in FY09.
The District also provides an extra bus on Friday afternoons and early
release days to accommodate the additional students who ride on those days,
since co-curricular activities are minimal on those days. The transportation
contract will increase by 3 % in FY09.
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Business and Other Support Services
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Director
of Operation’s Budget Commentary
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The
High School opened its doors to students in 2001, and the Middle School opened
in 2002. The life cycles of some
equipment, fixtures, and building components have reached their natural end. The District has spent several years in
preparation for this inevitable event.
The process began with the development of a capital improvement plan in
March 2005. A template was developed
that recorded the manufacture, make, and model of mechanical and building
envelope components, vehicles, fixtures, and equipment for the schools, the
central office building, the waste water treatment plant, and the grounds. The focus over the past year has been the
development of a preventive maintenance program to effectively maintain the
facility, while training our own staff to perform the required tasks, and the
establishment of contracts with vendors to perform tasks that our own staff
cannot perform. Many of the increases in the FY09 budget proposal reflect the
need to purchase supplies and services related to the preventive maintenance
plan and the replacement of components that have reached the end of their
useful life.
SALARIES
One of the significant
challenges the District has faced since changing the service model for this
department has been recruiting, training, and maintaining staff with the
maintenance and customer service background necessary to service our facility
and interact constructively with students, staff, and community members. We are in the process of replacing the
Director of Operations. The finalists
are all well qualified and we look forward to working with the new Director to
address the many challenges ahead.
OPERATIONS
The
largest operational expenditure is for the janitorial contract. FY09 is the second year of a three- year
contract. The FY09 budget reflects an
increase of 11.3% for the existing contract; there is no increase scheduled for
FY10. A thorough review of the operating
accounts was performed by the CFO in order to prepare the FY09 budget. In so doing, some expenses were moved from
one account category to another for consistency. Therefore, a comparison of the overall
requests for all other account categories is a better measure of actual
change. The total increase in those
accounts is 3%. This is due to increases in contracts for services from outside
vendors. There are no funds budgeted for
projects.
UTILITIES
While
a large portion of this budget is devoted to utility costs, we continue to look
for alternatives that will allow us to reduce these expenditures. We aggressively have sought ways to reduce
our energy consumption over the last several years including balancing our HVAC
system, monitoring and adjusting our Energy Management System, closing down the
buildings after hours during winter vacation breaks, and scheduling night and
weekend work using a team versus a zone cleaning method. Through these efforts, the District has
reduced its annual consumption of electricity and gas by 450,000 megawatts and
3404 Decatherms, respectively. The
District also hired an energy consulting firm to analyze our energy use and
negotiate utility rates with utility supply contractors. In spite of all these efforts, the cost of
utilities continues to rise. The
estimated increase in utilities is 6.4%.
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Buildings
and Grounds
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