School boards take initiative on austerity
Toolbox
By Cristina Kumka STAFF WRITER - Published: November 14, 2009
Some local school districts have taken the first step to send the state and the public a message — we can save school resources on our own.
On Thursday night, school administrators and school board members from Rutland City Public Schools, the Rutland Central Supervisory Union and the Rutland South Supervisory Union met informally to explore what they may be able to do together to save the money they have and work better with increasingly limited resources.
Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca recently called on school officials statewide to heed his recommendations for slashing school spending — asking school districts to consider negotiating contracts at the supervisory union level, putting more health insurance costs on the backs of teachers who receive it and giving him more say in the consolidation and merging of schools, among other suggestions.
And earlier this month, state Auditor Tom Salmon called on superintendents to respond to an objective survey of what schools could share to save money.
Salmon said he expects the report, containing information from 50 superintendents statewide, to be released by early December.
Thursday's local meeting was the first of more than one conversation Peter Mello, Rutland City School Board president and committee organizer, said he would like to have with the area's school professionals and most importantly, teachers.
Mello said if teachers aren't at the table when talking about saving resources and maintaining quality, any action will be stalled.
Mello said his reason for forming the committee wasn't precipitated by talk of consolidation or shared services at the state level.
"After 40 years in education and living in the community, this came just out of concern about improving things for kids," Mello said Friday. "Hopefully, we can make some changes that benefit everyone."
At the discussion, held Thursday at the Rutland Central office in Rutland Town off South Main Street, eight school officials and administrators aired what their priorities and challenges for funding are and how they can preserve or make services better for students across districts, rather than separately.
Labor costs, technology, special education and sustaining student programs topped the list of priorities.
Transportation and access to varied learning opportunities, limited financial resources, the public's knowledge of the school budgetary process and the responsibility of schools to meet the changing needs of students topped the list of challenges.
City Superintendent Mary Moran said her district's greatest challenge is the effect of poverty on children and families.
In Rutland Town, a challenge is passing the budget and gaining public support for it, said board member Jim Wright.
And in West Rutland, board member Jim Mumford said the greatest hurdles are the loss of students, special education costs dominating the school budget and state directives that schools couldn't afford.
To ease the burden of some of those challenges, committee members fielded ideas of what they could share — a centralized garage for storing and servicing buses, shared buses, sharing specialized staff and consultants and coordinating school calendars to provide more student services in the same time periods.
Moran said the idea from the state that level-funding school budgets will automatically reduce school costs doesn't work.
Moran said her budget will be up $1.4 million this year in inflationary costs alone, excluding new expenses.
Rutland Central Superintendent Wendy Savery asked, "could we come up with our solutions rather than have the state mandate them on us?"
Rutland South Supervisory Union board member Ken Fredette pushed for new governance – fewer school boards and meetings so top school administrators could better use their time.
"Let's work together and show people we are trying and we can work together," he said.
Another informal meeting is planned for January, Mello said.
cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com
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