This year's health insurance money

An interesting point made by Brian Allen at last night's budget presentation: the $2.25 million that has been freed up for this budget year can be used, on a week by week basis, for next year's budget. In other words, the School Committee could choose to apply one, two, or three weeks of that health insurance money to FY09, instead of spending it this year on supplies.

As that money would, in total, save 42 teachers, that's going to look pretty tempting. The caution offered by Mr. Allen, which we would do well to remember, is that this money is one time money. If the School Committee applies that money to next year, and it saves teachers' jobs, those jobs are saved for one year--then it's gone.

We'd do better to save those jobs with real money, and spend one time money on one time costs, like supplies that last for more than one year.

A caution, though: it's going to be VERY TEMPTING for the City Councilors to push for the School Committee to simply apply those funds to next year, and then do a dance that the deficit is down to $1 million. Don't buy it.