Faced with a looming budget deadline, the School Committee wrestled with several policy questions this week, all of which have significant financial implications. Board members renewed their request for $107,000 in additional town funding to help offset user fees, but could not agree at the March 1 meeting on support for a Proposition 2½ override to provide the money. Neither could they reach consensus on establishing an additional half-day kindergarten class to accommodate applicants under the School Choice program.
The committee’s only unanimous vote was to establish three full-day kindergarten classes for next year, ensuring placement for several Harvard families who have been on a waiting list for a full-day slot, although class sizes will be at the higher end of Harvard’s guidelines.
Only 56 children have been enrolled for kindergarten next year, reported Schools Superintendent Tom Jefferson, with an unusually high proportion (44) requesting full-day placement. Jefferson noted that he had received several unsolicited applications for kindergarten under the School Choice program. Although Harvard has not previously included choice students at the kindergarten level, Jefferson suggested that the School Committee consider accepting up to 10 such students, divided among three full-day and one half-day kindergarten classes.
The superintendent explained that he was looking ahead to the upper grades, where a class of 100 students has been considered an ideal size. He cited the pedagogical advantages of starting children on Harvard’s curriculum in kindergarten, rather than delaying acceptance until first grade. Moreover, every choice student—as well as every kindergartener enrolled in the full-day program—brings in additional money that helps the budget’s bottom line.
But Committee Chairman Keith Cheveralls expressed reservations, saying, “I’m very apprehensive about constructing a class that is 20 percent choice students.” Committee members Piali De and Stu Sklar pointed out that the Bromfield graduating class for this year is about 20 percent choice.
With the paperwork for next fall’s kindergarten beginning this month, the committee could not reach a conclusion on the additional half-day program, but voted to support the three full-day programs necessary to give full-day slots for all Harvard families who requested them.
Turning to budget priorities, everyone acknowledged that the town’s economic situation had forced hard choices. Beyond that, members expressed very different attitudes toward the current budget under consideration. “It’s a good budget that preserves what we have in employment and in class size,” said board member Virginia Justicz.
Sklar agreed, saying,“We’re in amazing shape compared to the rest of the state.” He pointed out that many schools are facing substantial teacher layoffs, with class sizes rising above 30 students.
De differed, citing her concern over the loss of a curriculum leader in world languages at Bromfield. Reinstating the position would cost about $20,000, which De asserted should be possible to find in an $11 million budget. After further discussion, she concluded that she would be unable to vote for the budget in its current form. “The School Committee owns [responsibility for] the budget,” she emphasized, “and our priorities ought to matter sometimes.”
Jefferson argued that cutting the curriculum-leadership position had been necessary for a balanced budget. “It’s ironic,” he said, “that we take so much criticism for being overstaffed administratively, and yet when we look at changing our administrative structure, there’s pushback on that. ... Unless we’re going to go for an override, this is the money that we have got to work with.”
At several points, Cheveralls tried to move discussion along, saying that arguments were becoming circular. “We’ve done this all backward,” he said ruefully. “These are the kinds of things we should be wrangling about in September and October, so that we can give the administration clearer guidance about how we want the budget built, rather than reacting to something that was built—and this may be a little harsh—primarily to balance the books.”
Supporting De’s wish to reinstate the world-language curriculum position, Cheveralls took the unusual step as chairman of introducing a motion to do so. He noted that he was not asking for a change in the total amount the schools are requesting; rather, he was asking school administrators to use “a much sharper pencil” to find the funds in other budget areas. Discussion indicated that the motion would probably pass 3-2, but Sklar requested it be tabled until the committee has a better sense of the direction of teacher contract talks. The motion to table passed 3-2.
Budget discussions then turned to the committee’s January vote asking the Finance Committee (FinCom) for $107,000 to support the reduction of user fees for athletic programs. Since the FinCom had concluded that an override is the only likely source for such funds, the School Committee wondered what its next step should be.
While Sklar advocated asking the Board of Selectmen to put an override article on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting, Cheveralls said he would not support an override and had been careful to avoid associating the School Committee with such a request. He noted the high rate of unemployment in Harvard and said it is the wrong time to ask for an override. Other members of the board expressed concern that asking for a small override this year might jeopardize a larger one that might well be necessary next year.
Committee member Patty Wenger was clearly the swing vote on the issue. A longtime supporter of reduced fees, Wenger nonetheless said that the prospect of an override made her “way more hesitant.” Challenged by Sklar to put the matter to the town voters, she finally voted “aye,” giving 3-2 approval to a measure asking the selectmen to find $107,000 in the budget to subsidize athletic user fees at Bromfield, contingent upon the School Committee’s finding $31,000 for the same purpose.