http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20151105/NEWS02/151109682
Published November 5, 2015 in the Rutland Herald
Springfield schools ponder Act 46 and budget restraints
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield school officials pledged they would not exceed the state school spending cap, which will likely mean cutbacks in the coming 2016-17 school budget.
Finance Director Steven Hier told the Springfield School Board on Monday night that there has been a slow decrease in enrollment, as well as tuition students.
Hier said that the proposed budget would be released in two weeks, starting the local public review and working with the local budget committee.
“You can probably infer it’s not great news, our enrollment is decreasing,” said Hier, who last month had noted that increases in health insurance ate up any state cap increase, and that wasn’t including any wage increase for employees.
The 1,300-student Springfield school district has lost four tuition-paying students this year.
Since the fiscal year 2000, Hier said, to fiscal year 2014, the school district was serving 280 fewer students, with the exact same number of staff.
But, he said, it was a different staff, with a shift away from paraeducators to instructional coaches, and special education teachers.
He said the schools had cut $1 million from the budget for the 2015 fiscal year, and had lost 24 positions; eight teachers and eight special education paraeducators. Last year, the budget was level-funded, with essentially the same staff.
Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin said that Act 46 would not directly affect Springfield because its student population exceeds the 900-student trigger. But he said that was “keeping a toe in the water” in case other neighboring school districts want to join Springfield.
“Sitting still is an option,” said McLaughlin. “Others have to scramble.”
If towns that currently send students to Springfield join other school districts, Springfield could lose some if not all of the $1 million it currently receives in tuition from the towns of Weathersfield and Baltimore.
McLaughlin and School Director Ed Caron both said that the projected savings for school consolidation appeared elusive to them.
“It’s not as easy as it looks. There are not that many savings,” Caron said.
“Cost savings? I don’t see how it materializes,” said McLaughlin, who said he had a “healthy skepticism” about any cost savings.
“Cost savings? I don’t see how it materializes,” said McLaughlin, who said he had a “healthy skepticism” about any cost savings.
ReplyDeleteNaturally! You have a healthy skepticism about cost savings while we the taxpayers have a healthy skepticism about your school budgets that produce perennial increases in our tax rates!
What does he care about the towns taxes? He lives in Brattleboro! Fire him and hire someone who actually has a vested interest in Springfield.
DeleteGood thought, but do you think anyone from Springfield is qualified? I do not.
DeleteYes! Far better to have our children grow up stupid than have our taxes raised.
ReplyDeleteNo! Throwing more money at schools with declining enrollments, much of it used to provide social services that are available elsewhere indicates that we are already stupid.
DeleteMoney doesn't make anyone smart Chuck, anymore then all the States liberal programs, to rid the state of drugs and drug addiction. Most people know that it just lines the pockets of people like you and your liberal cronies at the expense of the struggling Vt. taxpayer!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, 10:24, but when you pay top money in your field, you get the smartest flocking to you. See "Wolf of Wall Street" to see how works there.
DeleteFinland has the best educational system in the world. It has no teachers' colleges. Because the wages are so good, graduates aim early to do well in their studies. They won't get into teaching unless they have not only a bachelor's but also a master's in fields of their choice. The competition is keen, the best are hired, and a kindergarten teacher starts at about $54,000 a year.
Contrast this with the American system, where the results of standardized tests are used to punish schools who don't get all their students to be "above average" (WTF???), where textbook publishers base their content on what will sell in Texas, and where "school reform" is the name given to the grift that seeks to drain the last big pile of taxpayer money remaining in any state-- education funds.
Mark Zuckerberg famously tried to change the Newark schools top down with $100 million and blew it all. It would have succeeded if he'd used the money to change them from the bottom up. Read the book.
Act 46 is likely to result in higher taxes for Springfield if it loses the 40 high school students presently coming in from adjacent Towns which would be consolidating with Windsor. This is a bad deal for Springfield and McLaughlin is smart enough to figure that out. He is also most likely right that consolidation will not actually save money for the schools into which they are consolidated -- track record for consolidated schools saving money around the country is pretty bad. But it sounds good to conservatives until after it happens.
ReplyDeleteLook who’s leading the school board, which should answer your question about spending taxpayer’s money. McLaughlin could ask for a 10% increase and Mrs. Garfield would support him. Time for a change in March….
ReplyDeleteBut, "IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!" *sob, sob, sniffle, sniffle*
DeleteGuess we're not paying top money in Montpelier, because all we attract is one dumb liberal after another. Sending all the entitlements down to the dumping ground of Springfield. With that comes the element we are forced to try to educate. Last I've heard, 57% of all subsidized housing in Windsor County resides Springfield. Are sure 4:22 you haven't been watching the three stooges of Montpelier?
ReplyDelete