School Committee Member Plunkett Offers More Budget Facts

I’ve spent the last few months sharing a lot about the school budget, and now find myself  struggling with what else to say. It is not the job of the School Committee to tell any community member whether or not they can afford to pay additional taxes.  It is our job to provide as much information as we can, so that voters can make the most educated decision possible. So, here are some facts:

·         Since 2003, the school budget has grown at an annual rate of 1.7% while inflation has grown at 2.6%. For the past three years, the school appropriation has been 0% growth.

·         State aid is lower in 2011 than it was in 2003 (down -1.1%) and has not even kept pace with inflation. This lack of revenue, not expenses, is the key driver for the override request.

·         The School Committee always submits a balanced budget at Town Meeting; this year, it was at the Finance Committee’s guideline of -.75%.  However, a second budget was also submitted, which included the $801,528 override amount.

·         School spending in Holliston is in line with other Town Departments. Council on Aging, Fire, and Police Departments have higher compound annual growth rates.

·         Holliston’s tax revenue is primarily generated by residential property owners.

·         Holliston has lower cost per pupil spending than more than half of all 318 Massachusetts school districts who have reported their FY09 data, and is lower than the state average by 11%.

·         Holliston is in the bottom third in cost per pupil spending on administration, technology, operations and maintenance, and benefits in these 318 districts.

·         Holliston’s administrative cost per pupil is one of the lowest in the area and significantly lower than both the TEC (the educational collaborative to which Holliston belongs) and state averages. We also benefit from fewer, larger schools and fewer administrators than comparable districts.

·         Over the past several years, we have significantly increased existing fees (high school sports), and added new fees (for non-mandated transportation, middle school athletics, and high school activities). Parents pay nearly $500,000 in fees, about the same amount generated by a subset of taxpayers for the trash fee.

·         If the override doesn’t pass, athletic fees will range from $200-$450, and activity fees will range from $65-$240. This represents a nearly $150,000 increase for parents of athletes and club participants.

·         Spending has also been reduced by eliminating 25.7 positions, drastically decreasing textbooks and supplies, and salary freezes last year