Finance and Operations meets Monday!

As a sort of pregame to the public hearing on FY15, we're having our quarterly Finance and Operations meeting. You can find the agenda here.

• We're getting an update on the Blue Ribbon Technology report.
• We've got a report on the projected cost of reopening a school building.
• We have a report coming back on how much it would cost to expand instrument lessons to all remaining elementary schools. (short answer: a bit more than an additional music teacher)
• And it's time for the third quarter budget report! Plus the update on all accounts! If you want a better idea of how the WPS budget works over the course of a year, these are good to read. It shows how things have changed since the School Committee passed the budget last June, and it often gives an idea of what sorts of changes are going to be required for the next year.
• Ever wondered which schools don't have playgrounds on site or just off-site? I did.
• The query around additional alternative placements is being referred to the FY15 budget.
• In response to an item on space at All Saints and St. Paul's, we have another reminder of Chapter 30B (that's the Mass General Law that requires any such procurement of space must go out to bid).
• We have a report on the process of requesting school repair.
• And we have to vote on raising the school lunch price to $1.75 for next year (with explanatory memos). 

5:30 pm, room 410 of the Durkin Administration Building (take the elevator to the fourth floor and follow the signs through School Nutrition) 

And should you be planning on attending the public hearing on the FY15 budget at 7 pm Monday night, you can find all documents released regarding it in in the FY15 budget folder on the WPS website. 

School repair nationwide: a proposal

The 21st Century School Fund has a proposal for nationwide school repair that would, not incidentally, create jobs.
h/t Schools Matter

Mass School Building Authority presentation

really glad not to have to come up with what happens if Q.3 passed (1 cent of 6.25 sales tax dedicated to MSBA)


$2 billion backlog in funding when they took over
waitlist of 44 buildings when MSBA took over; last 2 are currently building
auditing has made this a much better, more honest process

1776 schools been reviewed
progress payment system: check is in the mail 15 days after district bill is reviewed ("pay as you build")
last year of $2.5 billion of the first five years of the capital pipeline
$500 million to spend a year

School repairs: the list

You can find the entirety of the "who is getting what fixed" list starting on page 41 of the Finance and Operations agenda from this afternoon (the recommendations were approved at subcommittee; they'll go to the full committee next Thursday). A few overview notes:

• every secondary school in the city, with the exceptions of North (being replaced; new school opens fall 2011), Tech (new school), and Forest Grove (redone recently) are on the list and having extensive work done
• Nelson Place is not on the list, as it is now the #1 school on our "replace" list
• there are two pots of money: the city capital money, over which we have disgression, and ESCO money, which is being directed according to the energy survey conducted by Honeywell. Thus there are some replacements being done in additional schools.
• Both Union Hill and Chandler Elementary have had work done this summer, ahead of the opening next week

The lists, by quadrant, are:

Burncoat: Burncoat High, Burncoat Middle, Clark Street, Lincoln Street, Thorndyke Road, Worcester Arts Magnet

Doherty: Doherty High, Chandler Elementary, Chandler Magnet, Flagg Street, Midland Street, Tatnuck Magnet, West Tatnuck

North: Worcester East Middle, Grafton Street, Lake View, Rice Square, Union Hill

South: South High, Sullivan Middle, Columbus Park, Goddard School, Heard Street, UPCS

If you go through the pages following, you can find exactly what the proposed expenditures are for each school. The request by Mr. Monfredo that committees for "curb appeal" be put together was moved into a motion that any site-based decisions that need to be made be put through the principal and site council (with a committee created if needed and at their discretion).

A chance for fixing schools

As you may have seen in today's paper (if you weren't already outside enjoying the spring weather!), the City Council started discussing on Wednesday their wished-for allocation of any funds generated by the airport sale. Sidewalks and street repair topped the list.

In terms of the number of people affected on a daily basis (for hours at time), how about schools?

As you see in the article, Mayor O'Brien, Councilor Petty, and Councilor Germain (if I'm reading him right; see 8:45) would support some school repair as part of the use of these one time funds.

It's not going to be enough to fix everything, but it's enough to fix some things.

However, the Council is going to have to hear that this is a PUBLIC PRIORITY.

So, you haven't called or emailed your city councilor lately, have you? You'll find a link to their emails to the right. Let them know what needs fixing at your school. Let them know how important this is to you, to your kids, to the city. Aren't we the kind of city that prioritizes schools?

Fixing Union Hill's roof

A bit of poking around on the attachments to the City Council agenda for Tuesday reveals $400,000 being transferred for building rehab, specifically to fix Union Hill's roof.
(You'll find it on the Manager's agenda)

Schools cited at City Council

Here at the City Council meeting (they're back on their regular every Tuesday schedule this week), the WPS $26 million budget deficit is being cited as evidence that things are not so hot (in reference to pools).
The City Manager also is saying that there are "hundreds of millions of dollars" in backlog of repairs, and that, moving forward, the city is working with the schools on sustainability.

Okay, and now we have a nun from Green Island lecturing the Council on the public process...I love Worcester.

Repairs

Mr. Monfredo is proposing that "repair, remodel, and restore" be the new motto of the Worcester Public Schools plant.
He wants to have volunteerism in sprucing up schools.
Referring to Community and Employee Issues

The Mayor says she's sure there are legal opinions "floating around out there."
Mr. Bogigian says "there have to be safeguards." He mentions liability.
Mr. O'Connell mentions work at Worcester Arts Magnet done by parents and inmates at the County House of Correction. He says that the collective bargaining with tradespeople was one issue in the past; he also agrees that liability was an issue, but speaks of a "carefully considered balancing of the" risks and benefits.