Last week, the School Committee approved a $95.4 million School Budget, though the vote fell short of representing a majority of the nine committee seats.
A 4-2 vote secured passage of the budget, which contained a $1.9 million funding gap resulting in the loss of 10 teaching positions.
Rosemarie Carlisle and Frank DePatto opposed the budget. Board member Jeanette Velez and Chair Richard Maronski abstained from voting, citing conflicts of interest due to relatives employed by the School Department. Committee member Julio Hernandez resigned the previous week, leaving his seat vacant.
According to School Committee members and administrators, crafting a budget that addresses the needs of Chelsea schools has presented considerable challenges.
Supt. Mary Bourque and City Manager Thomas Ambrosino highlighted two primary obstacles: declining student enrollment in Chelsea schools and an outdated state funding formula that disadvantages urban districts like Chelsea.
“I’ve spent a lot of the time with the
superintendent trying to provide city support for the budget,” said Ambrosino. “The City is really trying to do its fair share.”
The City contributed an additional $1.5 million toward addressing the budget shortfall.
“Every new tax dollar I can raise in Fiscal
Year 2020 is going to the School Department,” said the city manager.
Ambrosino indicated that regardless of the Committee’s voting outcome, he would present the $95.5 million figure to the City Council as the school allocation in the overall City Budget.
“The budget (Bourque) presented is fair and
reasonable,” said Ambrosino.
Following budget approval, Ambrosino suggested efforts should focus on advocating for reforms to the Chapter 70 state education funding formula at the State House.
Bourque concurred that now is the appropriate moment to address the state funding formula, pointing out that Chelsea schools face a $17 million state underfunding.
Declining enrollment represents the other significant factor driving budget reductions, according to Bourque. Between January 2018 and January of the current year, Chelsea schools experienced a loss of 217 students—part of a decade-long enrollment decline pattern.
Although Carlisle voted against the proposed budget, she contended that responsibility for the $95.4 million shortfall rested with the state rather than the City.
“The problem is with the state,” said Carlisle. “They are not doing the right thing, and we have to send them a
message.”
School Committee member Ana Hernandez supported the budget but emphasized the difficulty of the decision.
“The votes we make are very hard,” she said. “This budget is what we dread every year. We have to make a decision for the
best of the entire school system.”
For DePatto, the prospect of additional teaching cuts made supporting the FY ’20 budget untenable. He noted that schools eliminated seven teachers in 2017, 20 in 2018, 10 in 2019, with 10 more projected for 2020.
“Forty seven teachers and 25 paraprofessionals,” he said. “When is it going to stop? I can’t vote for this budget (when) I don’t
support these cuts.”
School Committee member Yessenia Alfaro-Alvarez voted to support the budget, arguing it served the City’s students best and acknowledging that Chelsea faces constraints from declining enrollments and inequitable state funding mechanisms.
•The Committee also voted to eliminate School Choice participation for the 2019-20 school year.
•Additionally, the School Committee approved a field trip to New York City for high school and middle school REACH students attending the Andover Bread Loaf Writing Conference in May.