The School Committee voted to approve the Superintendent’s recently updated proposed FY2023 budget at its meeting on Tuesday, April 12th.
The approved budget is approximately an $8.8 million increase over the FY2022 Budget. After the School Committee sent this resolution on March 31st, 12 members of the Newton City Council sent this letter on April 4th, requesting the gap be closed using ARPA funds and after the “NPS financial team scrubbed their books,” the Mayor increased the ARPA allocation by $1.51 million – one -time funding to reimburse the schools for ARPA related spending.
The additional ARPA funds combined with School Operating Budget reductions (School Committee office dues – $67,740 + Business, Finance, and Planning COVID-19 Expenses – $96,770) allows the School Department to make the following restorations:
Restore Elementary Literacy Intervention Teachers
Restore Elementary Math Intervention Teaching Assistants
Reallocate Elementary Reserve Teachers to High Schools
Restore 3‐Person Middle School Teams to 4‐Person
Partially Restore Curriculum Coordinators
Restore 1.0 Middle School Counselors
Restore High School Teachers
Restore High School Counselors
Also, with additional savings -(Central Office Salaries – $50,000 + Increase Estimated USB (Use of School Building) Revenue Offset (from $550,000 to $675,000) $125,000 + Increase Estimated Bus Fee Offset (from $600,000 to $650,000) $50,000 (NOT an increase in the actual bus fee) + District-wide Equipment (Business, Finance and Planning) $49,800), the School Department is planning to add 3.0 Elementary Classroom Teachers. See Updated FY23 Restorations – Sources and Uses.
Members were very pleased with the restorations, expressed their gratitude to the Mayor for providing additional ARPA funding, and to the staff for finding additional savings.
SC Davis moved approval with the revisions heard that night and SC Parlikar seconded the motion. The vote was 8-1 (Levy opposed). In his opposition, (1:12:10) Levy stated: “In the public sector, the currency of the realm is not money, it’s credibility. The degree of credibility directly affects the level of public confidence in our governmental institutions like the school system.” He shared his concerns over the process of constructing the budget and the end result and believes they are both deficient.
