Worcester City Council hears the Worcester Public Schools budget

Looks like we have John Monfredo from the School Committee, Mr. Allen, and, on her first day in her new position, Superintendent Binienda
updating as we go..once we start...here we go! Mayor Petty is in.
Petty: any questions?

The Worcester City Council inquires on the missing $12 million

If you followed the discussion at Monday's Joint Committee, Councilor Bergman (in particular) was intrigued about this missing $12 million, from the 2010 calculation of the foundation budget, in which the state used a different quarter to calculation the inflation that year.

And yes, the difference would be $12 million.

This Tuesday's City Council agenda has the two orders coming out of that meeting that resulted:

FROM THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - Request City Manager request the City Solicitor render an opinion as to legal options in recovering the 2010 miscalculated foundation education formula dollars ($12,000,000.00) and whether or not there is an applicable statute of limitations.

 FROM THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - That the City Council does hereby go on record requesting the State Legislature to include in the final FY17 Chapter 70 state budget an adjustment to the 2010 skipped quarter for the foundation budget inflation factor, as referenced in the final Foundation Budget Review Commission Report, that would provide the Worcester Public Schools an additional $12,000,000 in state aid.

Note that the latter would be for THIS budget being discussed now: FY17.

Meetings next week (with UPDATE from the Council agenda)

More to come on both of these, but both the Governance subcommittee and the full School Committee meet next week.
Governance meets on Tuesday at 5. This includes an update of the employee social media and computer use policies (which has been on here since last June), updates on making WPS the school of choice, the question of having a Title I parent council, and Rep. O'Day's H3793 on health education.
The full Committee meets on Thursday at 7 (6 for Executive Session). The report of the superintendent is on the school disciplinary policy. Remember that there is also the public hearing on the proposed grant for security communication between schools and policy, as well as the vote on the proposed IB school.

UPDATE: Also, I see from the Council agenda that we've hit the annual "I'm on City Council, but I'm doing School Committee's job" season:

Request City Manager obtain information/reports from the appropriate departments prior to this year’s budget as to the cost(s) and feasibility of implementing full-time Worcester Police Officer(s) and/or metal detector(s) in each of our public high schools and the current costs/expenses associated with security measures thereat. (Bergman, Rosen)

A) not the City Manager's (or the City Council's) job and B) (multiple reviews of the research reveal) not something that actually makes schools (or ballparks) safer.

WPS budget before Council: FY15 edition

posting as we go...
awaiting a quorum...
Petty: first session is Worcester Public Schools

List of all college admits

not my idea! Councilor Bergman gets the credit for this one!