Budget for Regional at $16.9 Million

This past Monday night, (MVRHS) principal Dr. Stephen Nixon presented the fiscal year 2013 school budget. This was the first step in a long budget process that ends next April when the towns will vote on it.

The proposed budget is $16.9 million, which is an increase of 1.85 percent or about $300,000 more than last year. While that is not much of an increase, nearly $17 million is still a lot of money. “I wish more people would have come,” Nixon said of the public meeting last Monday. “Because I really want people to understand why we need to cut this or why salaries are what they are. There are reasons for everything, nothing is arbitrary.”

In order for the budget to pass, four of the six towns need to approve it. “We’re really lucky in that we have a community that really cares about education,” Nixon said. He added that there is no real way to compare MVRHS to other high schools in the state. “We are a different type of high school. We have a comprehensive, in depth special education program that works with kids who would be sent to a different school if this were Falmouth. We have an in-house vocational program, where again, if this were somewhere else, those kids would go to a different vocational high school. We’re like five schools in one.”

The Island’s high cost of living also has an effect on the school’s budget. “Because the cost of living is so high, we can really only hire top tier teachers who make in the $78,000-$80,000 range. New teachers on the lower tier scale who make $40,000-$50,000 can survive fine in other parts of the state, but unless they have an attachment here or a family home, it doesn’t work for them.”

Nixon also stated that the fact that this budget is only up 1.85 percent is quite good considering over $100,000 in state aide is being cut. “When you think about that math, that all our staff and teachers are getting a 2.75 percent increase and our state funds are being cut, 1.85 percent is not very much.”

Highlights from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Budget

• Of the six major categories within the budget, two have dropped from last year and one has increased only .05%

• Retirement, Debt Service, and Insurance account for 26% of the entire budget ($4,396,712.00)

• Salaries account for 54% of the budget ($9,118,855.25)

• 68% of all of the budget lines have remained level or dropped from FY12

• 65% of all association members: Teachers, Custodians, Secretaries, and Educational Support Personnel are on the top step

• 73% of all Teachers are on Step 10 or higher on the pay scale

• 84% of all Teachers possess a Master’s Degree or higher

• 2012 has 20 fewer sections within the core curriculum areas as compared to 2005

• There are 31 additional classes that are either needed or required (Alternative, Special Education, and MCAS related) as compared to 2005

• Cohort numbers indicate the possibility of the student population increasing into the 690’s in 2012-13

• From FY10 to FY13 projected revenue from the State has dropped from $3,831,590.02 to $3,321,406.00 for a total drop in revenue of $510,184.00

• Operating Expenses in FY13 will increase by 1.85%

• Revenue in FY13 is projected to be down $106,463 or 3.11%

• Contractual increases for Teachers, Custodians, and Secretaries in FY13 is 2.75%

• Education Support Personnel contractual increase in FY13 is 2.00%

• Assessed expenses with contractual raises and revenue cuts increase by 3.14%