Supt. Taymore announced a
grant opportunity (MIDAS) to partner with UMass Boston with the goal to better
use data to inform decisions around student achievement and financial
operations. It is a five-month pilot and costs $500.
Melrose Director of
Planning and Community Development Denise Gaffey indicated that Mayor Dolan has
requested that the Aldermen approve a $5.3M bond to fund substantial
renovations to Melrose High School, including a complete overhaul of the Resource
Center into Learning Commons, and construction of new technology classrooms and
a student services suite (that moves Guidance,
the Assistant Principals, the Athletic Director, and the Pupil-Personnel
Services department to the first floor, with a new entry to that area opposite
the Principal's Office). The Learning
Commons space is modeled after similar spaces on college campuses and is
brighter and more open than the current space. Windows will cover the length of
the room facing the hallway and the crow’s nest will come down. There will
continue to be books in the space, but significant weeding will occur to ensure
that the collection addresses today’s educational needs. Safety of students is
paramount and all worker protocols (CORI checks, etc.) will be fully enforced. Upon
approval by the Board, the project would go out to bid by September of 2015.
Construction would begin during Winter Break, 2015 and continue through
mid-August of 2016.
METCO Director Doreen Ward
presented an update on Melrose’s METCO program that supports the transporting,
education, and support services for 125 students from Boston. Funds
for the program have been cut by the state but Melrose will be able to absorb
the cuts this year. There is grave concern that the program will be underfunded
next year, and Ms. Ward is working with legislators to lobby for stable funding
in order to continue the program at its current level and in the same format.
Supt. Taymore indicated that some districts are talking about dropping participation
in METCO and moving to a School Choice option, meaning that students would
still receive education in suburban districts, but they wouldn’t necessarily
receive transportation to those districts or educational supports.
Supt. Taymore reviewed the
Revenue, Grant, and Revolving Fund Account portions of the FY16 budget (pp.
72-75). E-rate funding is being phased out and the Nutrition class at MHS is
being eliminated (due to retirement of the teacher) so those lines are now $0.
Music revenue increased due to the addition of 3rd grade wind and
brass lessons (although a new law will require the sterilization of school
owned musical instruments which may incur expense to the district in the future). Tuitions
for School Choice students were budgeted this year. Federal grant funding in
all categories is expected to decline next year while facility rentals are
expected to increase slightly. At this time, Circuit Breaker (state
reimbursement for some Special Education costs) is expected to increase. More
information will become available on state and federal funds as those budget
decisions are made.
The Committee discussed
both FY16 Early Childhood Education (ECC) fees as well as fees for Education
Stations. ECC enrollments are around 320 students and capacity has reached
maximum levels. The program was just re-accredited, and significant work is
being done in the area of curriculum and instruction by Dr. Adams and the
entire ECC staff. Fees will stay the same for next year. Supt. Taymore
indicated that Education Stations is one the best programs that the district
has implemented, having been started by the prior Supt. and Dr. Josephson, and
it now supports 670 students in six buildings. Fees will stay the same for Ed.
Stations in FY16.
Supt. Taymore reviewed proposed Administration
(pp. 43-44) and System Wide expenses (pp. 46-47 of the Budget document). In the
area of Administration, the largest budget increase is the addition of an
Instructional Technology Specialist, an individual who would “incorporate
technology and digital content into teaching and learning.” In the area of
System Wide expenses, the Superintendent noted that this year she would be
negotiating with four unions and needs an increase of $100K as a contractual
stabilization fund. Separately, Melrose pays substitute teachers less than
other districts in the area but the district is never sure how much the actual
cost will be; MVMMS Principal Conway and MHS Principal Farrell are costing out having one
permanent sub in each building. Increases to the computer license budget reflects requested library media resources in addition to on-line needs for the new Graphic Design course
at MHS and Engineering course at MVMMS.
There were no budget
questions from the community-at-large, but Superintendent Taymore fielded two
general questions. First, “What is a Revolving Fund and does it have to be spent
all the way down to $0 every year?” Answer: A revolving fund (for example, Athletics) must be
established by the Committee and is the one way the district can carry money
over to the next year. We used to have more substantial “savings” in them but
they’ve been spent down, although we don’t $0 out on anything except e-camp. Second,
“What is an offset and what does that mean?” An offset is money from fees
collected from Revolving Funds, Grants, donations, etc. that can all be applied
against budget needs. (So again for athletics,
the money in the Athletic Revolving Account is used to pay for part of the
Athletics budget.)
Next session: Tuesday, March 10th in the
Aldermanic Chamber from 7-8:30 p.m. It’s a Public Information Session on the
budget, so please come and have your questions answered by Supt. Taymore, or
provide feedback on elements of the budget!
