On May 9, Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Dr. Anna Nolin presented her first budget to a joint meeting of the Programs & Services and Finance Committees. Accompanied by School Committee Chair Chris Brezski and Assistant School Superintendent Liam Hurley, Dr. Nolin offered a comprehensive presentation detailing the educational, administrative, mental health supports, personnel, and infrastructure costs totaling $286,347,007 in the FY25 Operating Budget Allocation – an increase of $9.9 million or 5.11% over FY24.
The actual budget of $282,647,000 includes a one-time carry-forward of $3,000,000 and $700,000 in one-time funding for health insurance. In addition, there is $4.1 million contribution from the Educational Stabilization Account. (The $4.1 million can be added from the account each year until FY30, when the Educational Stabilization Account may be depleted if it is not replenished.)
In addition to specific budget items, the Superintendent offered a view of goals and aspirations for students faculty and community.
Among the challenges in developing the FY25 budget was the eleven-day teachers’ strike, which delayed some analysis and future goal setting. Since its resolution, Dr. Nolin has visited and met with the staff at every school, and she and members of the School Committee and City Council have visited some of the schools together.
This and future budgets will likely face level funding of the METCO program and restrictions on the use of METCO staff solely for METCO students. In addition, Dr. Nolin suggested that level funding of Newton’s Title 1 program (providing support for Lincoln Eliot, Bigelow, and summer school) may also be level funded. In an inflationary environment, level-funding results in a reduction in resources.
In FY25, classes will have no more than twenty-five students, and STEM classes (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) will aim for even smaller classes. To support the language needs of English Language Learners – the most rapidly expanding group in the school system – NPS has developed easily accessed information technology in a variety of languages, delivered directly to participants’ phones.
Beyond the details of funding and spending, the budget includes a vision of “Who do we want to be?,” delineating the top ten job skills identified by the World Economic Forum:
- Analytical thinking and innovation
- Active learning and learning strategies
- Complex problem-solving
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Creativity, originality, and initiative
- Leadership and social influence
- Technology use, monitoring, and control
- Technology design and programming
- Resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility
- Reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation
Dr. Nolan also presented an overview of likely work skills for high-school graduates and the skills that workers will need in the next two decades. Much of her presentation focused on building and rebuilding Newton’s educational system to meet the needs of all students — from early childhood through high school — and building or renovating four schools: Horace Mann, Lincoln Eliot, Franklin, and Countryside.
City Councilor Susan Albright — who has served on the Newton School Committee — began by praising the Superintendent’s presentation, as did other Councilors. She asked if there were plans to reduce class sizes in high-school English and AP courses. The Superintendent explained that the Department will work on making those classes smaller and more available in future budgets, but the focus of the FY25 budget is on STEM class sizes.
Councilor John Oliver, who is leading a City Council committee exploring Community Dialogue, asked about the morale and feeling in the school community, to which School Committee Chair Brezski responded that his colleagues are exploring the elements that make up a neighborhood school. Dr. Nolin said that she is concerned about adding more clubs and after-school programs to expand the breadth of offerings and focus on high-quality childcare opportunities.
Councilor Stephen Farrell asked about programs serving the interests of high-school graduates who are not college-bound. Dr. Nolin explained that she has engaged with veterans organizations to explore a range of military careers and training opportunities. In addition, there are vocational programs at Newton North High School and community colleges.
In response to a question about the decrease in school enrollment (1100 fewer students since the beginning of the Covid pandemic), Dr. Nolin said that she had reached out to private-school parents and that many had chosen independent schools for religious reasons or public school dissatisfaction, or because families had always chosen private school. At the same time, she noted that fertility rates were significantly lower and housing costs were much higher in Newton.
The Finance Committee, in a straw vote, approved the budget 6-0 with two absent members. The Programs & Services Committee straw vote approved the budget 7-0 with one absent member.
In discussing the budget with Fig City News, School Committee Chair Brezski reflected that this year’s negotiations were generally positive since the process added positions and services. He pointed to Dr. Nolin’s explanation that she and the NPS administration were looking to find additional grants and funding sources going forward. Moreover, he noted that the administration is exploring ways to deliver services more efficiently.