Swampscott Schools Look to Fund $275K Budget Gap

SWAMPSCOTT, MA – At Wednesday's public hearing on the Swampscott Public School budget, the school council explored a hypothetical situation in which the current $275,000 funding gap isn't bridged.

One of the priorities listed in the budget presentation – which has not been finalized until the town meeting in May – is to maintain essential and core programs. One of the options named to balance the budget would be to cut Kindergarten to a half-day program, and charge a monthly fee on a sliding scale for the full-day program.

The town budget for the 2016-17 school year was $27,247,500, according to a flow chart from the public meeting. The proposed 2017-18 school budget is $28,272,500 (after grants and the revolving fund are taken into account), with the town slated to budget $27,997,500 – hence the $275,000 funding gap.

The Swampscott School Committee is expected to vote on the budget on Feb. 8, after which the budget will go to the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee, where the budget may be changed. The town vote will be during the May town meeting.

Next steps, according to the budget presentation handout, include preparing a town meeting article to fund a Special Education Stabilization Fund to ensure that the district is able to cover special education tuition and transportation costs.

The district also needs to come up with a way to fund basic utility maintenance at $100,000, otherwise it may go over budget in the 2017-18 school year.

To read the latest available budget, click here.