Educational support; printing and postage; out of state travel

Colorio: credit recovery lab:got moved to this account?
Allen: for clarity
works at North High
Biancheria: compares to North High's line item
change in salary from last year to this: decrease in salary
Allen: not the same person
Boone: moved the location of this person's pay to educational support
Allen: there was a retirement
move happened last year; change was noted in quarterly reports
Printing and postage approved
In-state travel approved
Out-of-state travel
Biancheria: zero to $5,000
grants no longer covering the expense
Boone: was not zero; it was reflected in a grant budget
being reflected in an operations budget
Biancheria: tax-based dollars of $5000
Luster: "happy to have the opportunity to discuss the Worcester Public Schools teacher recruitment program"
plan to attend a job fair in Chicago: to benefit from loss of teaching positions there
3 to 4 out of state fairs for national recruitment
Biancheria: Chicago an excellent location to begin the process
"don't have an issue with recruitment"
"also reads staff development" ('though that line item is set at zero)
Luster: "can barely manage our recruitment efforts with $5000"
Allen: staff development and personnel office both are in here, but none of the money is for staff development (which it says in line B)
Colorio: how many teachers are recruited this way?
Petty suggests "success rate": getting a report
O'Connell: recruitment trips out of grant funds?
Allen: Title IIA funds used for recruitment
O'Connell: still have Title IIA funds available? still exists but in a reduced form
Allen: 8% reduction, as across the board

FY14 Budget first read through

I did my first read through of the FY14 budget last night; here are a preliminary summary:

• Much of the gap that sequestration left us is being made up by the special education department. The Collaborative is, for the second year in a row, granting us a $1 million tuition freeze. Plus by adding five teachers and 16 IA's, we can bring many more students with autism back to the district, saving the district nearly $2 million (not to mention serving them in their home district).
• There's a substantial increase in the teacher account on special education, over and above that move, making a total addition of 17 teachers.
• There's also a substantial increase in special ed IA's, of 26 positions.
• There's two adds in the IT department, both to help teachers use technology more effectively but also to keep it all online and running. This budget also begins, mid-year, a five year lease program for computers. 
• As projected, there is an additional of three nursing positions. 
• The only change in elementary is moving one sixth grade teacher from the elementary line item to the secondary line item, as Worcester East Middle is adding sixth grade next year. There are, however, changes school-by-school in elementary, so look at the building-by-building budgets on those (the order is high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, other buildings, in the somewhat-but-not-quite alphabetical order of their state numbers). As always, the number of positions reflects the projected enrollment. 
• Secondary is adding nine positions, largely in the foreign languages at the high schools. There is also some substantial shifting of positions, school by school, so do look at the building budgets.
• There's also a number of shifts in funding as grants have been cut: moving 23 IA positions and the Staffing and Mentoring Coordinator to the general fund. We've also lost quite a bit due to sequestration (as feared): 32 tutor positions, a substantial loss in Head Start (which will mean we serve fewer kids), the 21st Century grant being zeroed out (which will hit us in after school and summer school programs), and cuts in other grants. 
• There's some central admin cuts: the Student Intervention Support Coordinator, the Facilities Project Coordinator (which was a temporary position for the city-funded capital projects, now completed), and the Race to the Top Design Project Leader (RTTT funded), and the Extended Learning Time Facilitators (of which there are two).
• There's also money set aside, as promised, for space rental for Chandler Elementary, to avoid having 6 classes of 30.
• It also adds back in the Out-of-State travel account (which has been set at zero for years) and the Personnel Office travel account (same page).
• There's a substantial jump in the AVID program. 
• And this will possibly interest no one other than me, but I am cheered at the news that our #2 fuel oil line item is down by 59%, as only three of our buildings (one of which we don't own) are still using it. In the same vein, we're saving $75,000 this year because just about everyone is getting their direct deposit slips via email, rather than through the mail. 

More to come! Take a look and get in touch!

budget: account by account

School committee approved $87,000
out of state travel approved (this is a zero)
in state travel: $62,500
Allen comments that this is largely for in-city travel between schools by itinerant teachers
out-of-state travel is paid for grants or other sources
Day-by-day subs: O'Connell asks for recommended number of subs per day; is it funded enough?
Foley points out that this account is decreasing $35,000
passes as amended

Postage

Schools are now covering mailing employee checks home ($62,000) which previously covered by the City. The City distributes checks, rather than mailing them. Due to summer vacation and the number of buildings, the schools don't do this, but it is a topic of conversation with the new superintendent.
Mr. O'Connell is asking if we might get a recommendation for the first quarter.
Mr. Foley asks if we can deduct this from the costs borne by the City.