A consolidation of some School Department and city departments is expected later this year.
WESTFIELD – School officials have erased a shortfall of more than $500,000 in the new School Department budget scheduled to take effect Friday with no staff or program reductions.
The department will use a projected savings of $203,000 in transportation costs for the 2011-2012 school year along with more than $300,000 in School Choice funding to balance its Fiscal 2012 budget. The School Committee approved the financial measure this week.
Adopted is a new School Department operating budget totaling $52,190,011, down from the $52,440,000 approved earlier by the committee. The new budget reflects an increase of about $800,000 over the current school budget of $51.3 million.
Daniel KnapikThe City Council last week cut $250,000 in school spending, pointing to potential savings that will occur when several school and municipal departments are merged under future planning. That merger is aimed at human resources, financial operations and purchasing.
But Mayor Daniel M. Knapik told the School Committee on Monday night that actual savings from future consolidation will not be fully realized for about three years.
“The only savings from consolidation will be on the city side of the budget,” Knapik, who also serves as chairman of the School Committee, said. “It will take us 18 to 24 months to pass legislation allowing the consolidation and it will take about 36 months before any savings are realized,” he said.
The council made the cut just prior to adopting a city-wide $121.6 million Fiscal 2012 budget.
Cynthia Sullivan“Schools will suffer because of that,” said School Committee member Cynthia A. Sullivan. “It is very disheartening that the council cut our budget,” she said.
School Finance Officer John E. Kane said projected savings in school bus transportation this school year is the result of a new five-year bus contract with Lecrenski Brothers Transportation Inc. That $10.2 million contract was approved by the School Committee earlier this month.
Kane also pre-paid more than $311,000 in special education tuition for the 2011-2012 school year from the current budget to offset expenses for next year.
The School Department anticipates receipt of about $350,000 in School Choice funding, funding from other school districts that send students to Westfield schools, during the new budget year.