Worcester Public Schools FY20 budget deliberations round one

It's 4:10 and the committee is all here but the superintendent is not...the budget is here; I've stuck the account order ("recommended") here.
And it looks like they may be starting at 4:15...
Posting as they go

O'Connell says he plans to make aggressive cuts for a "staff recruitment initiative focused on diversity" aiming for $500,000
"we note the staff over fifty continues to grow"
says Chief Diversity Officer "is not enough" nor is Worcester Future Teachers
says he means diversity "beyond ethnicity"
notes number of women teaching and lists a number of other areas
"it will cost us significant dollars"
cites Monfredo and Biancheria
Petty: have been working on this for awhile now
working with WSU; infrastructure needs to be put in place
"I remember cutting the out of state a few years ago"
"we're going to need money; there's no question about that"
"I'm not sure what we're funding yet"
"once we have that in place, I'm all for it...have recommendations from administration in place before we start cutting"
Monfredo "looking at this budget, which is the Governor's budget" which it isn't; it's the House Ways and Means budget "it's going to be a tight budget"
Biancheria: appreciate O'Connell's work, great way to bring up innovative ideas
look at a few areas; translation increase "and rightly so"
have in house translation and third party translation
"and hopefully that will help us with our diverse community"
increase in electricity; thought we were looking into solar panels?
Chief Diversity Officer "would be under the superintendent...that has been changed" if it has, no one has said so
looking for an expansion in middle school sports and cites Councilor King
adjustment counselors and guidance counselors: wants a health educator due to the opioid epidemic
we should be doing that in HEALTH CLASS
Comparetto: "I don't even know what these positions are" to administrators being added, says he supports O'Connell's sentiments
would like to see Chief Diversity Officer reporting to Superintendent
would behoove us to invest in wraparound coordinators
"not a budget that necessarily reflects the needs of the district"
Petty: in the job description, it does say report to the superintendent
McCullough: should have Chief Diversity Officer in place to make decisions first
"diversity across the board, not just ethnicity, but gender, and other things across the board"
middle school supports: engagement and role models
Foley: "it wouldn't be a budget season if Mr. O'Connell weren't recommending a cut of half a million dollars"
agreed on "much more diverse workforce"
like the idea of getting a report from administration first
"I'm not looking to try to cut and get a pool set aside"
if we did that, would rather see it go to the classroom
if reconciled budget has additional funds, is the unfilled priorities in budget what would be filled?
Binienda: yes, with priorities
includes health educator and middle school/freshmen sports "building pipeline to high school"
$130,000 for middle school sports
Foley: would push for the teachers, essential classroom student support services that are there
Binienda: if we don't have a reasonable number of students per classroom
"principals are not requesting wraparound [coordinators]; principals find adjustment counselors much better at meeting the needs in their schools"


Retirement
Petty: "that number is what it is"
O'Connell asks about an early retirement program
Petty: "should we start with the school committee?"
Allen says they can have a report
Transportation
Petty asks about what is changing
Allen: lease at Fremont will be ending at end of FY20, but Facilities will no longer be able to be over on former Norton property
budget contains funding for space, as well; remainder will be in FY21 budget
really only increases in transportation are in contracted services and for additional lease of 10 vehicles to replace current fleet, are on a five year plan
second lease of ten special education vehicles
Monfredo asks how much money is provided via McKinney-Vento
Allen: it's being less than 50% coming back "to the city's general fund"
O'Connell: could we not ask City Manager for the McKinney-Vento funding back?
Petty: "do you want us to cut it out of Doherty High School?"
O'Connell: "it's a principle" as he's giving us more than what's required
Biancheria: is reviewing the buses involved here
"it's more expensive for the smaller bus?"
Allen: there's a bus on the smaller buses, and no monitor on the bigger buses
"the other equipment is virtually identical"
Biancheria: "we are leasing them?"
Allen: the ten additional leased buses are among the 35 special education buses operated by WPS that have been operated for some time
vans don't go out to bid; they are negotiated on an annual basis, as they are special education
Petty: how much?
$250K per year in parking; nothing at Saint-Gobain "so that will be a new cost for us"
Monfredo: how much funding comes back to city from state on McKinney-Vento?
approved
Athletics OM
Biancheria: what's going on with rental for South?
Allen: three components to line item: ice rental, swimming rental, rental fields for South from Worcester Academy, about $4500
Shea: only the fields are new, others are of longstanding
field hockey, boys soccer, girls soccer, on New Balance Field
Shea notes that they can walk
Biancheria: athletic supplies and uniforms?
Shea: continue to work to make sure we have supplies
looked at helmets, medical supplies at Foley Stadium
working with WEDF for additional uniforms
using washers and dryers at schools for uniforms; "courts and fields are extensions of the classrooms"
McCullough: cost for state-level competition "obviously we can't predict it...so the onus isn't always on the players to raise those funds"
notes that it goes beyond athletics
Shea: option to take some out of supplies or revolving account at Foley
community funding rings and coats and plaques for Worcester Tech
Foley: savings of $120K of transportation: is that self-operated budgets?
Allen: fund was left here but being used in driver overtime account
"however, there are instances in which we're still using contracted transportation" thus funding there
O'Connell: amount in revolving fund for Foley?
Allen: can get report
O'Connell: thought account was growing; perhaps can be used for middle school sports
approved

(out of order)
Athletic coach salaries
O'Connell: asks for report on salaries
approved
Health Insurance
$47M account, BTW
O'Connell: funding grant positions' health insurance?
suggests moving salaries out of grants so health insurance isn't funded out of grants
Allen: will let grant management staff take that, but grants can't just "swap out dollars" as grants must be used for supplemental services
approved
Other Insurance
"other insurance" up 49%; payment for entire three years, thus spike
approved
Workers Comp Salaries
O'Connell: a portion of the City's management fee?
Allen: just have pulled it out separately
approved
Workers Comp non-salaries
(taken with above)
Workers Comp fringe
(taken with above)
Personal Services
O'Connell increase in legal services again this year
note that settlements also come from this account
and thus O'Connell's annual suggestion that there should be someone in City Solicitor's office working for WPS
awkward if you ever have to sue the city
Binienda "I would not recommend that we go through the City Solicitor's office"
City Solicitor's office has so much work that they are farming out some of their work
longstanding relationship with both attorneys
"I think the increase is probably because we underfund and we had a lot of contracts"
still a Department of Justice district
O'Connell argues that the City Solicitor's office could hire someone else
"it would be a shame for us to look at the issue"
Foley asks for a breakdown in the item of where the funding goes
Monfredo: a report on how costs could be contained as well
Biancheria: asks about third party services in special education
Seales: for homeschooling and homeless services
bills for special education are itemized
Allen: think we are answering for two accounts
some need for services for highly specialized needs within the district requiring clinical care
Biancheria: security guards increasing due to Burncoat High; I thought we had one
Allen: previously was an IA position
Biancheria: "but they are there now!...it's not a new position!" it was added over the year
translation: have we asked what other districts are doing with translation?
Biancheria: telephone line to translate from schools
"seem in urban ed to be right around what other districts have"
Monfredo suggests using dual language students for translation
Binienda: ch. 74 program coming; find out rules of students translating documents for us
O'Connell: motion to cut $50K from legal
quarterly reports allow reallocation
"those sums to be reallocated in two weeks"
Binienda: both of those areas involve some of our compliance with DOJ and in translation services
Monfredo: how about $20K?
Allen: intent is to fund actual costs coming in FY20
Roll call: Biancheria and O'Connell, yes; others no; motion fails
cut of $20K passes, Compartetto and Monfredo also voting yes this time
account passes
Special education tuition
which is budgeted for $19.8M
O'Connell: should more kids go to the Collaborative
Seale: have done our due diligence
O'Connell: can we have a report on out-of-district costs?
important for community to know of costs
Biancheria; had discussed dyslexia?
Seale: would have to look at language disabilities placed out of district
"at this point in time we are able to service students who have a language-based disability in district"
Biancheria: asks for a report in July on how students with dyslexia are being served
increase of 25% for recovery school (bringing it to $68K, reflecting actual costs)
Binienda: another student went there; we pay $13,000 a year per student that goes there
approved
Printing and Postage
O'Connell: asks if email can be used more to decrease postage
approved
Instructional materials
Monfredo makes motion to approve
O'Connell: on furniture, makes motion to cut  $50K
essentially, we can get leftovers, which is entirely how this has been funded right along
Allen: principals were interested this year
use all those avenues already, continue to do that as possible
principals in the unfunded requests from schools
almost every single principal was asking for school furniture
this is a reallocation; funds were set aside for a one-time expense last year
motion fails on a 3-3 vote (Biancheria, Comparetto, O'Connell voting in favor of cut)
O'Connell motion to hold account until mayor can weigh in
Biancheria asks when the last time the per pupil increased
FOREVER
Allen notes that some of that is coming from the district now, too
Biancheria: "ten years is a long time for $68 per pupil"
Allen: increase is entirely a result of the increase in enrollment
Biancheria: October enrollment or?
Allen: "great question: it is based on the October 1 enrollment"
Biancheria: at some point we have to asks what the expenses are!
account held


recess to executive session
regular session at 7; budget back on June 20