The city appropriation in the school budget for the next fiscal year is $62.8 million, with the state funding most of the school budget.
School Committee member Michael J. MoriartyHOLYOKE – No teachers will be laid off but five positions will be eliminated in the budget of $88.2 million the School Committee approved for the next fiscal year.
While the new spending plan was described as tight, officials said Monday next year’s will be worse.
During the committee meeting, officials said the budget facing the school system next year is unlikely to have the benefit of carrying over $3.4 million unspent from the previous fiscal year, as is the case with the budget set to begin July 1.
“That scares the daylights out of me,” said Michael J. Moriarty, committee member at large.
The 9-0 committee vote established a budget as of July 1 that is less than 1 percent more than the current $87.4 million.
The budget consists of state funding, a city appropriation and grants, officials said.
The budget eliminates positions of three custodians, a clerk and a staffer who helped incoming freshmen make the transition to high school, officials said.
The school system has 1,600 employees, Executive Director of Finance Christine P. Regan said.
Student enrollment is about 5,900.
The school budget includes a city appropriation of $62,879,111, but most of the school budget, including part of the funding that is considered the city appropriation, consists of state aid.
The city appropriation in the current year is $60.5 million, Regan said.
Superintendent David L. Dupont said the budget funds essential services for the 11 schools and the school administration. But tight funding required more cuts than he would have liked in the spending proposals submitted by principals and other staff, he said.
“It’s not, certainly, the budget we started out with....In the end, there are no teacher layoffs,” Dupont said.
Committee members such as Ward 4 member Cesar Lopez said that as officials try to stretch the limited funding, among their concerns are ensuring strong funding for he city’s two Level 4 schools.
A year ago, the state designated 35 schools statewide as Level 4, or chronically underperforming, in terms of student test scores.
Dean Technical High School and Morgan School are on that list, and unless significant progress is shown three years after the Level 4 designation, the state could take over the schools.
In other business, three parents during the public speakout part of the meeting said school officials had disrupted their families with rezoning decisions.
Due to overcrowding, in the fall, some children will be transferred from McMahon School at 75 Kane Road to Peck School at 1916 Northampton St.
The parents criticized officials for failing to inform families the transfers were being considered and for the lack of lead time. They said their children were comfortable and learning well at McMahon School.
“Your actions are unacceptable to me and my family ...,” said Brian P. Ramoth, who has two children.
“Nobody told us anything at all....Shame on yourself. You did a horrible job,” said Jorge R. Diaz, who said he has three children at McMahon School.
William R. Collamore, School Committee vice chairman, thanked the parents for their comments but officials otherwise didn’t respond.
Dupont said later in the meeting officials are working on rezoning plans for all the schools.