The Jaffrey-Rindge School Board discussed priorities for looming budget cuts, including universal 4-year-old preschool, extracurricular activities, staff childcare and creative ways to keep partial programming for the upcoming year.
During Monday’s meeting, the board spent three hours discussing possible avenues for the next year and identifying their priorities in preparation for an official vote on April 6.
At the polls on March 10, district voters turned down the district’s proposed budget of $33.5 million, putting the district into a default budget of $31.99 million.
The board discussed ways to ease that gap without cuts, including reworking current and anticipated grants to cover staff positions, using the current budget for expenses like Chromebook replacements, and paying out retirement benefits for teachers retiring this year.
Superintendent Reuben Duncan told the board that by reworking grants to cover positions, it would save about $250,000, at little-to-no risk to the district.
Among the slate of potential cuts being considered by the School Board include a planned additional position for an assistant superintendent, two currently unfilled positions for a behavior interventionist and a special education position. Cuts to current staff positions could include three Conant Middle High teachers in English, math and art, four elementary school teachers, the elimination of universal full-day 4-year-old preschool, the elimination of the Little Orioles Center daycare, an elementary school assistant principal, a restorative classroom, library media associates, and coaches and referees.
The board, along with Duncan, discussed some options that would reduce programs of high concern, without totally eliminating them.
Once such option, Duncan explained, would be reducing the two full-time staff at the Little Orioles Center to one full-time staff member supported by part-timers. That would reduce the total $170,000 budget line by about $45,000 in pay and benefits.
Another option the board discussed was having user fees for non-educational programs, such as the preschool or sports.
The current proposal is to reduce, but not eliminate, sports and activities by taking measures such as playing only the required number of games, doubling up on buses, hosting fewer refereed games, and offering more intramural models.
Duncan said that could reduce the costs while still allowing students a “sense of belonging,” and “wide array of programming that we know high level schools can offer their kids.”
The board also discussed the possibility of using the district’s maintenance trust fund, used for repairs and maintenance to school buildings, to offset some of the budgeted $190,000 in scheduled maintenance. The majority of the board said they did not want to tap into the fund, which is for planned large-scale projects and emergencies.
The community responds
School Board Chair Lisa Wiley said the board has called for and received “dozens and dozens” of emails from the community about their priorities and ideas. She said the “vast majority” of feedback she has seen has asked to prioritize the universal 4-year-old preschool and the Little Orioles Center.
Several suggestions from the community echoed the conversation had by the board on Monday — to reduce positions instead of eliminating them, or to have user fees.
Wiley said that though much of the conversation on Monday centered on a few items of discussion, that every potential cut was devastating.
“I know we’re honing in on a couple of pieces we’re really worried about losing. The items on the screen are people. It’s breaking our hearts looking at elementary teachers and not saying anything, looking at librarians and not saying anything,” Wiley said.
Wiley discussed the possibility of using a pay-to-use model for preschool, asking about the viability of that proposal, considering the district would have to make final staffing decisions by April.
“Is this a reasonable ask?” Wiley asked Duncan.
Duncan said the district’s business office is already equipped to accept and process payments should the board choose a paid model. He added laid-off teachers could be recalled if there was sufficient community interest — but cautioned the board to set realistic expectations about enrollment in the program’s first year.
School board member Chris Ratcliffe said that one of the issues he saw with paid models is that the cost to run the program is still in the final line of the budget.
“The majority of voters look a that final number,” Ratcliffe said, adding that even if the program is offset by revenue, there will be voters who vote no on a number that isn’t a significant cut.
“We need to be aware of that risk,” Ratcliffe said.
One item suggested by the community was to reduce or eliminate the activities and athletic director, a proposal not on the district’s list. School Board member Christine Pressman said Jaffrey-Rindge’s position includes “multiple jobs rolled into one,” including coordinating both activities, athletics, and facilities responsibilities. Board member Jared Reini said he was not opposed to looking at a part-time activities director.
Board priorities
One of the items most spoken about during Monday’s meeting, by both members of the public and the board, was preschool
Susan Shaw-Sarles, a former elementary school principal for the district, encouraged the board to do what it could to keep the preschool open, saying it vastly improved student readiness for kindergarten.
Keeping preschool, or at least a partial program, was listed as a priority by nearly all board members, though some said they were open to reducing it from two classrooms in each school to one, or a tuition-based program.
“These were sticking points we dealt with last year,” said board member Sandra Stewart. “Pre-K, the Little Orioles and sports. And we’re right back here this year.”
Reini agreed that keeping at least some part of preschool was a priority.
Board member Alicia Vitello said while not ideal, a reduce-and-preserve approach was the best option.
Ratcliffe said the board should now, and in the future, look for partnership opportunities to help offset some of their programs, but said that was a long-term prospect that was unlikely to help them make decisions next week.
“As of right now, we can only cut programs, and can’t promise what’s going to fill the gap,” Ratcliffe said. “I think that’s out of the realm of our responsibility.”
The board did not take any votes during Monday’s meeting, but announced that they would make final budget decisions during their next scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 6 at Conant auditorium.