Proposed 2004-5 Pentucket Regional School District Budget

The Pentucket Regional School Committee continues to work on a variety of budget options for the 2004-5 academic year.  The budget cannot be finalized until voters in the Town of Merrimac reconvene on June 7^th to vote on a revised Supplemental budget. 

This page includes a history of the budget approval process, and what the next steps in the process will be.

Budget History:

1.                  In May, 2004, voters in West Newbury, Groveland and Merrimac were asked to vote on a Proposed 2004-5 Pentucket Regional School District Budget: $27,336,568.  The portion of the budget that represented an increase over 2003-4 ($1,746,081) was considered the Supplemental Budget.  The total requested through a tax override was $1.4 million.

Voters in all three Town Meetings passed the Base and Supplemental Budgets. 

2.                  At May 3rd Town Elections in Groveland and West Newbury, voters approved tax overrides to pay for the Supplemental Budget.  At the Merrimac May 10 Town Election, voters rejected the tax override.

3.                  The Pentucket Regional School District’s Regional Agreement requires that voters in all three towns must approve all budget increases.  After the override failed in Merrimac, the School Committee reconvened and reduced the Supplemental Budget request, after taking into consideration new revenues from the State.  That revised budget was brought to Merrimac voters at the continuation of Merrimac Town meeting on May 17.  Voters at that meeting rejected this Supplemental Budget request.

4.                  Members of the School Committee and Administration met with Merrimac Town officials to discuss a compromise Supplemental Budget.  

5.                  The Pentucket Regional School Committee began deliberating options for balancing the Proposed 2004-5 School Budget and reducing the Supplemental Budget request by $650,000.  Those options included increasing revenues from user fees as well as budget cuts. 

6.                  At the June 2 School Committee meeting, the Committee voted to

·       Reinstate bus fees to 50% of the 2003-4 level

·       Reinstate student parking fees

·       Increase athletic and activity fees to 100%

At that meeting, it was also reported that new income has become available since the original budget was proposed.  

·        Additional State funds for out-of-district tuitions (“circuit-breaker funds)

·       Additional E&D funds resulting from higher than projected 2003-4 income

The Committee instructed Dr. John MacLean to come to the next School Committee meeting with a proposal for balancing the budget through spending cuts.  He was instructed to assume in his planning that Merrimac voters will pass the new Supplemental Budget Request and a tax override of $240,000.  A new budget scenario will be presented at the June 15 meeting of the School Committee.

What’s Next?

On June 7^th, 2004, Merrimac voters will be asked to vote on a new Supplemental Budget Part of that assessment will be covered by existing Town revenues, with $240,000 to be covered by a tax override.

If the Supplemental Budget passes in Merrimac on June 7^th, voters will be asked to vote on the $240,000 override request at a special Town Election on June 28^th.

If the June 28 override passes, the assessments to the towns of Groveland and West Newbury will be adjusted downward, with each town’s share remaining consistent with the original formula. 

If the override fails, the School Committee will reduce its proposed spending to 2003-4 levels.  This will result in cuts in programs and services, and increases in class sizes. 

For More Information:

This Web site will be updated with the results of the Merrimac Town Meeting on June 7.

Following that meeting, it will be updated with the School Committee’s revised 2004-5 Proposed 2004-5 budget.

Please direct your questions and comments to the members of the Pentucket School Committee or to Dr. John MacLean at maclean@prsd.org. Click here for a list of School Committee e-mail addresses.

At Town Meetings throughout the District voters will be asked to vote on the Pentucket Regional School District Base and Supplemental Budgets.

Budget Overview

• Budget Goals
• Budget Summary
• Budget Increases
• What is the Supplemental Budget?
• Pentucket Comparison With other Districts

The Budget Approval Process

• Town Meetings
• Town Elections

Funding History

• State & Community Funding Trends
• How the Pentucket School District Budget was Balanced in 2002-3

Alternative Budget

• Proposed Budget Cuts if 2004-5 Supplemental Budget is not funded

• Impact on class sizes

For further information, or to discuss the proposed budget, please call the Dr. John MacLean, Superintendent of Schools, at 978-363-3380, or e-mail a member of the Pentucket Regional School Committee.

BUDGET OVERVIEW

Budget Goals:

• Maintain existing educational programs and services
• Retain class sizes at current levels
• Maintain athletic and activity programs at current levels

Budget Summary

Proposed 2004-5 Pentucket Regional School District Budget: $27,336,568
Towns’ increase for 2004-5: $1,746,081 (@6%)

(3% annualized over two years, due to 0% community increase in 2003-4)

Total needed through tax override: @$1.4 million

Budget Increases:

• Teacher salaries and benefits (mandated by contract)$725,304
• Retirement & retirement incentives: $318,419
• Materials & supplies: $192,940
• Building maintenance & repair: $228,286
• Transportation: $155,986
• Professional development and curriculum materials : $95,800

• Insurance: $24,200

What is the Supplemental Budget?

The proposed budget is a level-programming budget. No new programs or services have been added. Any spending over last year’s school budget (even $1) is considered part of the "Supplemental Budget."

Pentucket Budget Comparison With Other Districts

Based on 2002 data (2003 data are not published yet)

• In 2002, Pentucket Regional School District ranked 306 out of 328 school systems in Massachusetts in per pupil spending on public education. In 2001, it ranked 287.
• In spending on teaching costs (salaries & benefits), Pentucket ranked 291 in 2002.
• Pentucket spending per pupil is 16% below the state average.
• Pentucket per pupil spending: $6,429 in 2002; State Average: $8,005 in 2002

BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS

Town Meetings:

West Newbury: April 26, 2004

Groveland: April 26, 2004

Merrimac: May 3, 2004

Voters in each town will be asked to vote on two budgets: Base and Supplemental

The Supplemental Budget includes all increases in spending over last year’s spending.

Town Finance Directors have agreed to recommend town funding for part of the supplemental budget:

• Groveland:$121,044
• Merrimac:$ 84,829
• West Newbury:$150,000

This leaves a budget shortfall of $1,390,208.

A majority vote is required to pass the base and supplemental budgets. If both budgets pass in Town Meeting, voters will call for a tax override to make up the shortfall.

Proposition 2½ mandates that any spending increase in excess of 2½ % of a town’s total budget must be approved by voters in a formal election.

Town Elections:

If the Base and Supplemental Budgets pass at Town Meeting, voters will be asked to vote on a tax override request at the Town Election.

Election Calendar:

West Newbury: May 3, 2004

Groveland: May 3, 2004

Merrimac: May 10, 2004

The expected tax override requests will be:

• Groveland:$520,000($225 tax increase for the average home)
• Merrimac:$569,285($287 tax increase for the average home)
• West Newbury:$309,923($190 tax increase for the average home)

FUNDING HISTORY

State funding trend:

Proportion of State of MA contributions to the Pentucket Regional School District has dropped in the past five years.

The State’s percentage share of budget increases has dropped from a high of 18% in 1997-98 to 1% per year since 2002.

The funding crisis we’re in is directly related to the recession and the State of Massachusetts’ loss of state tax revenues.

Community funding trend:

Until last year, the Pentucket communities have covered the drop in State funding in order to maintain level programming in our schools. Last year,

voters rejected any increase in local school spending – which left the schools with a shortfall of $1.1 million.

How the Budget Was Balanced in 2003-4

Last year, the towns did not approve the Supplemental Pentucket budget – despite increases in operating and instructional costs. This meant that the towns did not give the schools any increase in funding over the previous year. Meanwhile, the State only gave the District an additional 1%.

Rather than cut core educational programs and services, the towns and school district used the following measures to make up the shortfall for the 2003-4 school year:

• Cut 19 jobs (teachers, aides, administrators)
• Deferred building maintenance
• Added activity and transportation fees
• Increased School Choice students
• Made limited cut-backs in MS language programs and HS electives
• Reduced Excess and Deficiency Account

• Created income from new initiatives (including a new day care program)

ALTERNATIVE BUDGET

If the 2004-5 Supplemental Budget & Tax Override Do Not Pass

The School Committee has proposed cutting $1.4 million from the budget:

• 34 teachers and instructional aides will be laid off
• Classroom sizes will increase – by as many as 7 per class at the Middle School
• HS electives will be cut back
• Bus/transportation fees will be reinstated
• Activity fees will increase from 75% to 100% of actual costs

Projected increases in class sizes:

• Class sizes of 25+ for 4^th & 5^th grades, with some as high as 30
• Middle school class sizes will rise to 27 students
• Some high school classes will have 30 students

Back To Announcements

Back To Pentucket Regional School District Home Page