'Bare Minimum' Norwood School Budget Comes In At $45.02 Million

NORWOOD, MA — Three passes and $2.4 million in cuts later, the Norwood Public Schools have their budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Superintendent Dave Thomson presented the final approved budget at last week's school committee meeting. The final figure is $45.02 million, a 3.3 percent increase over last year's budget and lower than the initial needs-based budget of $47.47 million.

"We're expenses cutting everything to a bare minimum," Thomson said. "A balanced budget does not necessarily mean an adequate budget."

Thomson said the cuts needed to balance the budget includes $783,854 in needed positions, $242,378 from not filling positions left vacant from retirements and resignations, $165,809 in layoffs and reductions, $377,772 in supplies, library books, and $117,951 in miscellaneous reduction.

Personnel at all levels has been cut and staffing needs are not being met, Thomson said. He gave examples ranging from the need for school adjustment councilors at the elementary and middle schools and more foreign language teachers at the high schools,

School officials were able to promote two adjustment councilors from part-time to full time and add an employee for in-school suspensions. The district will also be able to obtain English language arts materials for elementary students and pilot an assessment and intervention program at the middle school.

Thomson said the district will be working on a programmatic and financial five-year plan.

The budget will go up for a vote at the Annual Town Meeting on May 14.

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