Legislators and School Committee Meet, Discuss Budget Woes

Members of the School Committee met with state legislators this morning in hopes of keeping an open conversation as the budget numbers fall into place.

 “It was a promise to stay more in touch as we go along,” School Committee Vice Chairwoman Reenie Murphy said this morning.

Last week, the School Department , but it is a number that Superintendent David Fleishman has said will mean larger class sizes and reduced programs.

Murphy said the committee met at alongside Fleishman, as well as Newton Democrats Sen. Cindy Creem, Rep. Ruth Balser and Rep. Kay Khan.

Committee members shared the School Department budget with the legislators and presented some of the district’s priorities as well as the “obstacles” it faces trying to close a significant gap.

Although the legislators could not provide much information in terms of the House or Senate versions of the Governor’s budget, Murphy said there was a lot of “information sharing” between the city and state elected officials in terms of budget timelines and legislative priorities.

"I think the meeting went well," Khan said this afternoon. "It was an opportunity to connect in a way that I think solidified an ongoing relationship with the School Committee and the legislature."

Khan said some legislators are advocating to continue a House and Senate "resolution" prior to the final numbers, as they have done in the past, which gives the districts more advanced notice of how to plan their budgets.

"We hope to have a continuing dialogue to let them know if the legislature is doing the resolution so they can start to plan," Khan said. 

Another major "budget buster" the group talked about are health care costs, Khan said, and whether the city should move in to the Group Insrurance Commission or explore other options. 

"It's not clear which direction to take yet," Khan said.  "There’s a lot of negotiating going on."

Murphy added that the legislators promised to notify the district of public hearings farther in advance, which would allow School Committee members or department officials to be present during the hearings to advocate funding that affects Newton schools. 

“It was a very good, open give and take,” Creem said this afternoon. "We did a lot of listening,"

The School Committee made sure to underline the rising costs of special education, Creem said, and made it clear that they would like the legislators to do what they can to increase circuit breaker reimbursement.

Creem said she has filed three bills that would targe those costs, including legislation dealing with special education transportation, health care and reimbursement.

With the House budget set to come out in April and the Senate’s in May, the legislators couldn't indicate what the final numbers would look like, but that they heard the district's concerns and will keep the conversation open.

"The dollars are definitely limited in our current economic situation," Khan said. "It’s becoming more and more difficult to provide the kind of services we’ve always wanted to provide in Newton."