Budget hearing: account by account

posting as we go
Boone: figures identified in this document were approved by City Council, thus gives us a starting point
Monfredo: money we received is still a $2.1 million deficit that needs to be made up
Boone: FY15 meets minimum, FY14 balance
Allen notes that the number is on page 375 of the budget

Monfredo: deficit could be made up through free cash?
Allen: any addition would apply, as the city is meeting the minimum for this year
Monfredo: any possibilities of free cash?
Boone: not in a position to answer that
Monfredo: needed positions being lost
Mayor notes that city doesn't usually know free cash until October
School committee account approved
Crossing guards:
O'Connell: can we have transportation report? We haven't gotten it
note that we did; it's online
O'Connell: does it include crossing guards? No. If we were doing rerouting, wouldn't we need to look at crossing guards?
Boone: not in a place to address those recommendation at this time
account approved
Other insurance
O'Connell: increase in one item?
athletic ticket taker bond is on a three year renewal, $1800 payment that wasn't paid in FY14, paying two years this year
approved
retirement
O'Connell: early retirement incentives for how much longer?
2002 ends 2018
2010 ends 2020
custodian pension fund: O'Connell is reminded that this was part of the contract settlement during the last contract
printing and postage approved
in state travel approved
and out of state travel: approved, then Monfredo asks to go back
Monfredo suggests cutting the $5000 and apply for Future Teacher Academy
Worcester State would forego $3000 cost of the future teachers academy
Boone: yes, we do have teacher layoffs, but it isn't necessarily a one-to-one match, so we do hire
Foley: appreciate concern, but must continue efforts to make workforce more diverse
Novick: would be interested in administrative effort
Luster: people hear of the WPS due to our attending at conferences and such
not a one-to-one match
you do see candidates that have heard of Worcester applying
"it takes many years"
O'Connell: previous funded out grants previously?
Allen: based on allocation of Title IIA, which is below sequestration levels, did not see that being possible
Boone: other uses of that grant precludes the use of those funds in that grant
Monfredo: Worcester Future Teachers looks at local talent; long term investment
Biancheria: appreciate work my colleague has done; certain for a local program
may take awhile, but takes awhile to get someone from elsewhere
would like to see $5000 moved over
Ramirez: for $5000, I'm sure that we can help program secure funding
need to look at diversifying our workforce
trading off doesn't seem prudent to me
Luster: conversation shows the difficulty of this budget
continue to have vacancies that we cannot fill locally, we don't have all of that expertise locally
"glad that this is an important issue to everyone, sorry that we have to make this choice"
O'Connell: wants a report on moving the money
Petty points out that we had already approved; rules suspended to go back
motion to cut $5000 from out of state travel: motion to cut fails, four to three (Biancheria, O'Connell, Monfredo voting yes)
account approved, four/three (same breakdown)
Day by day subs:
Novick: spending more than budgeted: is it appropriately budgeted?
Allen: no
Boone: need is greater
O'Connell: are absences covered?
Luster: difficult to say what it will be; 80% of absences covered; though in some cases, grant funding can be applied if absence is due to school business
Allen: 'though largest source of that grant funding was Race to the Top
Luster: most professional development happens in schools, not out of district
not sure if professional development will be reduced due to funding
Biancheria: aren't IAs working in classrooms for a particular time instead of a sub?
Luster: yes, modest increase as they cover
Boone: try to be judicious in that use, as IAs are either special education or kindergarten which need their attention
Luster: last resort, due to other needs in building
Biancheria: report on number of hours that IAs are asked to work in classrooms, amount paid for that
and not sure if it's in their most recent contract: the contract before last