Holyoke schools spending will go up, but officials and staff know the increase won't be as much as they'd like

The School Committee is expected to vote on the final budget around June 6.

Holyoke School Superintendent David L. Dupont

HOLYOKE – The School Committee Monday received a proposed budget for the next fiscal year, excluding funding from grants, of $77.9 million.

That proposal is $2.1 million, or nearly 3 percent, more than the current $75.7 million, according to the School Department website.

Presentation of the budget by Superintendent David L. Dupont and his staff will trigger School Committee hearings on the budget over the next few weeks.

That will undoubtedly result in cuts from the proposal, Dupont said, and a vote by the School Committee on the final budget by June 6.

The budget is for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

If grants are included, the proposed budget swells to $87.9 million. While officials said grants by their nature aren’t guaranteed funding, Assistant Superintendent Kimberly Wells and Finance Director Christine Regan said the proposed budget includes only those grants that have been consistent from year to year.

Dupont said he wanted to assure the School Committee that his staff and school principals understand the budget as proposed will undergo cuts and other changes.

“What we have here is what the school administration is saying it needs ... it is not intended to put the School Committee on the spot,” Dupont said.

Mayor Elaine E. Pluta last week proposed a budget to run the city in the next fiscal year, including $62.9 million devoted to the schools, of $120 million.

That proposal is $3 million, or 2.5 percent, higher than the $117 million citywide budget approved for the current fiscal year.

More than half the city budget consists of funding from the state. State aid is projected to be $77.4 million in the next fiscal year compared to the current $76 milion.

The expected state aid features $67.5 million in Chapter 70 general education aid, up from the current $65.6 million, according to the state Department of Revenue.

The proposed school budget includes $5.9 million for 150 new positions, including teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators, Wells and Regan said. The School Department now employs 1,250 people, Human Resources Director David Lawrence said.

Committee member at large Howard B. Greaney Jr. said it was unfortunate the budget includes $311,000 for rent for the School Department offices at 57 Suffolk St., raising a long-standing sore point. Greaney is among those who believe municipal space should be found for central offices instead of paying rent.

“I think it’s something that we, as elected public officials, are obligated to address,” Greaney said.

The audience included about 40 principals and other school staff. Committee member at Large Michael J. Moriarty praised them for the narratives that accompany the schools’ spending plan in the proposed budget.

“These narratives, by the way, are fabulous,” Moriarty said.

Pluta, chairwoman of the School Committee, noted the $160,000 budgeted for legal services and said she would like to see that reduced.

Officials thanked school principals and administrators for their work on the proposed budget.

“I want to say thank you all for ... what you do every day for our children. You do make a difference,” Ward 4 member Cesar Lopez said.

“I think that you and your staff did a terrific job,” Greaney said.