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IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION
Notification from: Westport Community Schools-District 2-9-10 via email
Although I
will make my decision regarding staff cuts tomorrow, I have become aware that
there are some misconceptions due to an error in reporting in an article that
appeared in the Herald News recently. The article mixed two proposals for FY 11
citing that in our operating budget request for 1 million, we were including
“smart boards or interactive white boards”.
#1 – It is not true. The smart
boards were a capital improvement request – separate from the operating budget.
#2 – I am proposing that capital improvement requests be postponed and not
brought up at town meeting this year.
#3 – the smart boards have nothing to do with the FY 10 budget deficit.
Dr. Carlos Colley
Superintendent
February 5,
2010
Dear Parents and
Guardians:
I feel the need to give you another
FY 10 budget update in our quest to properly fund the Westport Community
Schools. As you know, we have had a deficit since I came on board due to reduced
levels of expected revenue and unanticipated cost increases in SPED. We have
kept the town and community well informed by being transparent and open from the
very beginning. At first, we thought that the amount would be close to $300,000
and by this week, we have managed to bring that amount closer to $150,000. There
seems to be no way to deal with this problem, other than picking between two
choices by the end of next week.
Choice 1 – Cut up to
$150,000 worth of staff now.
Choice 2 – Wait until the
May 4th Special Town meeting within the Annual Town Meeting to ask
the voters to allow the use of stabilization funds to cover the
deficit.
A few weeks ago, I asked the Board
of Selectmen, on behalf of the School Committee, to consider taking a vote to
support us in asking the Town to use stabilization funds. They voted to allow us
to put a warrant article on the Special Town Meeting.
I also asked the Fin Com for the
same vote. They discussed it at a
previous meeting and they tabled the motion. I will be going to their meeting on Tuesday,
February 9 at 6:00 p.m. to ask them again for their vote.
In the meantime, I have continued to
listen and to discuss this issue with the community, parents, staff,
administrators, students, town officials, and many others. I continue to evaluate the ongoing support to
see if there is enough to pass a motion (2/3 majority required) to use
stabilization funds to balance our budget at the May 4th Special Town
meeting. I will make my decision between choice 1 and 2 on Wednesday, February
10th. If it is choice 1 – I will send notices out at
the end of the week and layoffs would take effect March
15th.
Now to the next and perhaps
most important issue facing our schools in the last 10 years - the FY 11
Budget:
We are basing this budget on the
assumption that the state will fund our schools at no less than the amounts from
last year. We are also making the assumption that the cost of SPED out of
district placements will not increase next year beyond the 2 new student
placements, we currently know about.
In the FY 11 Budget, we have
included all the services that we have this year including, those we lost this
year to the Chapter 70 reduction from the state, the Circuit Breaker
Reimbursement (for extraordinary SPED costs), and School Choice
revenue.
For FY 11, we are adding the
services of a psychologist, while decreasing our consultant line for the same
type services. By bring the psychologist
on board, we will have the benefit of reducing costs and directing services more
effectively. We are also adding staff for a group of students moving from the
MAC to the WES that are in need of more specialized services than the WES was
currently providing.
FY 11 Budget carries an increase of
$1 million. This allows us to keep the schools operating at the same level as FY
10 and at the same time cover the structural deficits that exist in our budget.
Many of these are caused by increases in SPED costs. Historically, we have spent less than most
districts of similar size. This budget does not contain increases in other
services or reductions in fees.
Some have questioned our
motives for not increasing the FY 11 Budget even higher than our purposed budget
and I need to explain why this has been the case:
This is still a very difficult
economy and financially, not everyone is doing well. I recognize and propose
that we ask for enough to maintain our existing services and programs. As the economy improves, we will be able to
improve our budget to fund the schools at levels that are more appropriate than
what we have received in the past. The increase now is small enough to avoid
hurting those in need, yet large enough to maintain and improve a few
programs.
As the superintendent, and the
loudest voice advocating for our students, I also need to be the voice of
caution. This budget will force the town to respond in a way that has never been
possible before. It will mean that a large majority of voters will need to come
out to May Town Meeting and to the June special election to vote in support of
the schools and the town budgets. Based on past history, I need to caution all
of us as to what is at stake – We can improve our SPED services and maintain our
programs, if the town supports the schools by voting. But, if the votes do not materialize, we
stand to lose $1 million worth of services. All areas would then be affected; larger class
sizes, reduced sports offerings, reduced administration and student supervision,
reduced availability for the use of our facilities, reduced activities being
offered for our students, reduced choices for art/music and other
electives. In general, it will be a very different school
district. A district that, in my opinion, does not prepare our students well for
a global economy and would limit their opportunities for entry into more
selective colleges and universities.
I am proposing an increase that has
the potential of winning the support
of more than just a simple majority of the town voters. I can defend what we
have and the additions we are seeking. In the face of our economic climate I do
not suggest asking for more. I will even propose that we postpone the request of
our capital needs until we have taken care of the needs within the operating
budget.
Now is the time to get behind the
schools, to fund a reasonable budget and to maintain our services and programs.
Now is not
the time to bicker about what else should be in the budget. If we
lose this battle – then the war will be much worse for us. If we win this
battle, however, then we can begin to build our programs to where they should
have been during the “good years” rather than keeping them at minimum. These are
our children and our future. If we are to be successful, they need an education
that expands their options, not one that limits them. That is what I am fighting
for. It is not a year’s effort – this is a long-term effort. What we accomplish
this year will build the stage for the future, so that not only our current high
school students will benefit, but those at the MAC as
well.
I will present these proposals to
the Board of Selectmen on Monday, February 8 at 6:00 p.m., along with the Town
Administrator, who will present the town department budgets. We
hope this will present a clear picture of our need for funding before we go
further into the spring. I will also ask the Board of Selectmen to consider
funding the budget for the schools without the use stabilization funds.
Therefore, we are not placed in the position of having to ask again for more
funds in the future.
I hope that all those who care about
our children and the well being of our schools will get behind our effort to
support the funding we need for the schools. If you know of someone who is not
usually involved – now is the time to encourage them to become part of the town.
After this effort, I do not expect to hear, “But the town won’t let us…” or “The
town won’t give us….” You who are
reading this letter and either live here or work here - ARE THE TOWN. What
happens is in your hands.
I am extending my hand to you for
help.
Sincerely,
Dr. Carlos M. Colley
Superintendent of the Westport
Community Schools
January 29,
2010
Dear Parents and
Guardians:
Dr. Colley Superintendent of
Schools
Over the last few
days, many of you have been hearing about the consequences of our financial
struggles for this year and the real needs for next year. I have been trying
for months to put out the message that the schools are in need and that we need
your support. Now is the time to make decisions, and reality is hitting home.
No one likes this, least of all me. I am trying to get an idea of what support
exists for the schools in Westport. Based on this on-going evaluation of
support, let me give you a picture of the next few weeks, I am sure many of you
are worried and with good cause. I will put you at ease for now: No pink slips
will go out on Monday. I will not make any decisions on cuts until 2/10, when I
will decide whether the cuts are necessary.
I have been trying to
get a sense of the community regarding what people want and can tolerate. Next
week, I will meet with the principals and staff during faculty meetings. I have
heard this week from parents, other community members, and town officials about
the direction in which they want to go. Wednesday, I will hear from the
administrators, and from students on Thursday. Monday, 2/8, I will present the
Board of Selectman, along with Mike Coughlin, the big picture of what the town
is facing financially. Tuesday, 2/9, I will present the final budget to the
School Committee, so that we have a goal for Town Meeting and a possible ballot.
We are not on the FinCom agenda for 2/9, which means they may not entertain our
request to revisit the question of whether they will support using stabilization
funds to close out FY 10. However, I intend to ask them during the time for
public statements. I don't know if others will be allowed to speak or how much
time they will allow for comments, but their agenda is full of budget reviews
from now until March - just before Town Meeting. We are on their agenda for
Tuesday, 2/23, to explain our budget and they will probably ask us to adjust it.
We will or we won’t and then they will either support it or not. In case a large
crowd attends, I offered the FinCom use of the WHS cafeteria for the meeting -
following the school committee meeting. The FinCom is meeting early, at 6:30
p.m., because they want to have enough time to go through each department
budget. The school committee meeting starts at 5 p.m. If necessary, we will cut
it short or recess to attend FinCom.
I am happy that people
are getting involved and the numbers show support. Now we need to have a few key
people provide feedback in summary form to the elected and appointed officials.
This will limit the number of speakers and keep the discussion focused. This is
my suggestion to parent or community groups that want to be heard at any
official meeting. The forums that I run are more informal and people can ask
questions and have a discussion. The official meetings, unfortunately, are on a
time limit and have an agenda that must be followed. This is why I encourage
people to come to the coffees to get the message from the horse’s mouth (me). If
others can’t attend, then those in attendance may relay the information.
However, be careful and remember that unless it is directly from the schools,
the message you get from friends and family may be their interpretation of the
information. For the other meetings with elected or appointed officials you
must follow some protocols. You can ask them to meet with your individual group
to discuss your concerns. Whether they will be able to do that will depend on
their availability.
Again, I intend to
postpone any decisions on cuts for FY 10 until 2/10. No pink slips will go out
for now. Please know that any lay-off discussions are extremely painful for me
and they affect everyone in the schools. Let’s be kind to each other in times
of struggle and be there to support each other even when difficult decisions
need to be made.
Thank
you,