Superintendent Cuts Requested Budget Hike

Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings has further reduced the proposed FY13 school budget increase from 11.37 percent to 8.47 percent.

This new amount would translate to a $1.9 million increase over the current budget. The 11.37 percent increase added $2.6 million.

Cummings said at tonight's School Committee meeting that the town’s “fiscal realities’’ would not allow his previous request to go forward.

The 8.47 percent increase would be the third highest school budget increase in the past ten years.

Cummings said the budget hike was needed because the district faces a “perfect storm’’ of factors.

These include the expansion from five to six schools, the loss of stimulus funding that had augmented the school budget the past few years, fixed personnel costs and the town, state and federal fiscal outlook.

The new high school will also open during the next fiscal year.

The further reductions translate to the loss of seven instructional assistants and one teacher in the following subjects: math, world language, math and English language arts, and a districtwide speech and language teacher.

Cummings said he is working closely with Town Administrator Timothy McInerney to reach a final figure.

Committee member Donna Stock noted that the issue is incomplete because the state aid budget numbers have not been released. Those numbers are the “big unknown,’’ she said.