Still wondering in Worcester...

So, after last night's opening of school report (covered by the T&G here), I still have a lot of questions, as someone who is going to be putting three kids on buses in a week. If you do, too, let me know, and I'll add them. I can't promise we'll get any answers, but we can at least get the questions out there.
In no particular order and updating as there are more:

• Are there enough secondary teachers to teach classes that students have signed up for? In July, the School Committee was told  "there are courses with full enrollment without budgeted teaching slots" as of that time. Have more teachers been hired, and if so, with what funding? If not, what is being done about these students and their courses?


• Likewise, what's the updated count on elementary classes of sizes over 27? And how many of those are kindergarten classes? And do any of those now lack aides, due to the zeroing out of the kindergarten grant?


• Has anyone talked further with the city about these gaping holes in the teaching staff, as is being done in other districts across the state? 


• This whole thing about a new position


• The opening of school report talked about a districtwide focus on literacy; what exactly does that mean? Is there a new curriculum? Is there a shift in which standards will be stressed? Are teachers being required to do particular things? What else is going on with this besides a book read?


• Relatedly, was there any summer work on curriculum in the district? Seriously. 


• What's going on with the international baccalaureate program? The commitment was made to have that ready to roll out at the end of this year, and there is a staff position which is supposed to be writing up an innovation plan now. Is that still happening? And if not, why not?


• None of the MSBA summer window projects are completed (so all are going to have to be finished during the school year)...how come? as work being done during the school year is both more disruptive and more expensive


• How is the next round of the safety audit being funded and how are the schools being chosen?


• Given that the additional $250,000 in capital is going to "safety equipment" (which is looking like walkie-talkies and cameras), what are the long-term plans for the increasing number of buses that can't be replaced? And if there are going to be increasingly more buses rented (cough, which doesn't count towards net school spending, cough) out of operational dollars, is there a plan to increase those dollars? And is any of this a long term plan of any kind?


• How is the district preparing for a test that no one has seen and we don't seem to know much about, other than how much it is costing us? 

WPS budget is posted!

 And it's the first time the announcement has come this way!

FY17 @worcesterpublic budget now available for review at https://t.co/Q7K4ZDFhUI pic.twitter.com/W2Dj8NL90f

— Brian Allen (@Brian_E_Allen) May 13, 2016

The link in the tweet works; the budget is here. 

Here's the opening paragraph:

The Worcester Public Schools is underfunded in the current foundation budget formula in the areas of health insurance, special education, and the skipped inflation adjustment in 2010. The district enrollment is relatively flat from the previous year causing no foundation budget growth due to enrollment. The foundation budget inflation factor is negative for only the second time in twenty-four years causing no increases in Chapter 70 foundation aid. The Governor’s and House of Representative’s proposed budgets provide additional funding for a change in the definition of low income and economically disadvantaged resulting in the total of the district’s Chapter 70 aid increase of $3.8 million. 

I think that may be the darkest opening paragraph I've read in a budget (and I've read them back into the 90's). We did know that this was coming.

For those who were laying odds, Superintendent-elect Binienda's name is on the budget.While there may as yet be no agreed-upon contract, the superintendent's salary is budgeted for $200,000. That's an increase of $6000 over Dr. Boone's final salary last year, which is interesting, given that the incoming superintendent has no experience and no terminal degree.

The following major points jumped out at me just from skimming (per my open questions):

• the administrative restructuring drops three positions, due to retirements, and adds two positions: a Manager of Curriculum and Learning, to whom the curriculum liaisons will report, and a Manager of Instruction and School Leadership, to which (if I'm reading the org chart correctly) the current Quadrant Managers will be also changed, making two for elementary and one for secondary. Budgetarily, it's a bit of a savings, due to the length of service of those retiring this year
• the secondary cuts came in at nine positions with, the budget says, no change in course offerings. The changes are as follows: no changes at UPCS or Forest Grove. Burncoat: up a history, down a language, up a science thus +1; Claremont: down a special ed thus -1; Doherty: down a science thus -1; North: down a history, a language, a health thus -3; South: down an English, a math, a language thus -3; Tech up a .4 language thus +.4; Burncoat Middle: down a math thus -1; Sullivan down an English, a math, a language thus -3; WEMS down a math thus -1. And that may be missing a half I missed somewhere. I haven't done the elementary; those are supposed to net out to zero change over the district, but there will be school by school changes.
• Elementary class sizes will, as projected, have 72 classrooms of 26 or more students.
• Dual language increases to sixth grade.
• No increase in support staff
• Overall, there is a drop of 4 special education teachers.
• There is a cut of three preschool classes; I didn't check the school by school budgets to see where yet; I'll update once I do.
• Alarmingly, Mr. Allen is projecting charter school reimbursement at 36%. Remember, that's based on the House budget, which cut the charter reimbursement from Governor Baker's budget, while not tying it in the same knots.
• The IB coordinator for the planned Advanced Academy is still there. 
• Per pupil instructional materials is still being funded at $68/pupil with $1/pupil for recess in elementary schools.
• Security guards are still being funded, and there's a 20% increase in that line item.
• There's an increase of over $100,000 in the rental line item, due to the increased rental of space at the Y for Chandler Elementary, since the building plan was nixed.
• While the overall regular transportation budget is only increasing by 1%, due to the capital budget from the city continuing to be level-funded, the district cannot replace district-owned school buses at the rate needed. The district thus is renting three more special education buses than last year. And, as the capital budget is again level-funded this year, expect that to go up again and again. 
• Health insurance is going up by 6%.
• Workers' comp looks like it's probably still underfunded by about $300,000.
• Facilities remains, with exception of trash, level funded, which it's been since the beginning of time...
• In about the only bright spot in the budget, the school nutrition budget is going up for next year by about an overall 15%, due both to increase reimbursement and to increase participation. That would be Community Eligibility working! 

AND the mysterious increase in FY16 funding? Check out the city contribution schedule on page 406 (of the online PDF): you can click to make this bigger; I've got to change the margins on postings...

The big change last year was, indeed, the police being added to the schools. From just over $400,000 in FY15 to $762,914 in FY16 and projected for $778,172 in FY17, the city-assessed cost of police in the schools has nearly doubled over the past two years. That isn't the full cost; there's still $120,000 in the Supplemental Program Salaries, as well.
This year, there's not only the continued jump in police charges, but there's also an increase of almost $100,000 in administrative charges.
As always, those aren't costs the school committee votes on; they're charges the city levies against the school department, over which the school department has no say.
Thus the "over foundation" portion of the WPS budget is coming mostly in city administration and in policing.

The City Council hears the Worcester Public Schools' budget at their May 24 meeting; the Worcester School Committee budget hearings are I believe, as they aren't posted, June 2 and June 16.

"No reduction of positions and no loss of programs or services for students" WPS FY16

The FY16 budget is now out, and, having now had a chance to go through it, a few notes from me follow.
(Much of this can be found in the accompanying budget summary memo)

The above title is the first thing to know: no layoffs and no program cuts this year! Whew!
In fact, we're adding! The proposed budget adds:

• 10 elementary teachers
• 11 secondary teachers
• 11 special ed teachers
• 14 ELL teachers
• fifth grade dual language teachers
• a school nurse position
• a full time (from halftime) librarian at Burncoat Prep
• 3 school adjustment counselors
• 3 custodians
• 1 assistant principal, and converts a lead teacher to an assistant principal.

Notice that the above additions focus heavily on why we have an increased budget: increased enrollment and changes in enrollment, namely:

• enrollment increase (Pre-K-12) of nearly 600 students
• 834 more ELL students 
• 776 more low income students

That's where the increased funding is coming from (remember, the inflation rate is only 1.5%). 

The budget also proposes boosting school safety's line item 50% and funding the arts magnet program an additional $10,000 (to fund their programs for the entire year). 

And--this is exciting--it takes $425,643 of district funding and puts it up for Erate funds, which brings back $5.1 million! The plan is for all new network switches, adding wifi access points to the schools with weak spots or no spots, increase internet connections (to 100MB for elementary, 1GB for secondary), and replace switched Ethernet with fiber, districtwide.

Of the total budget, 28.2% of it comes from the city; 58.2% (the largest section) is state chapter 70 aid.

The City Council hears the Worcester Public Schools' bottom line on May 26 at 4 pm. There is a (probable) Joint Meeting for a public hearing on the WPS budget on May 27 at 7 pm (we don't know where yet). The School Committee will hear the budget on June 4 and 18 at 4 pm.

As always, more to come!

We have a budget memo!

You can find the budget memo we received from Superintendent Boone yesterday here.
You can find last night's presentation to the City Council by City Manager Augustus here.

So, what's the story?
Bottom line is that the City Manager is recommending a WPS budget line of $305,201,911 to the Worcester City Council.
What that means for our budget is, first, that 15 elementary teaching positions that were up for a cut will not, now, be recommended to be cut. Good news.

Where does that leave the rest of the recommended budget?
As the City Manager said last night, state funding for schools has been growing at $9 to $10 million a year, but it's down to $670,000 in growth for FY15. That doesn't at all realistically represent our children's needs.

First, the bad news:

• 23 elementary teaching positions cut
• 24 secondary teaching positions cut
• 2 central administrators cut
• 7 central administrative clerical positions cut
• 11 MCAS tutors cut
• 5 reading tutors cut
• 1 credit recovery position cut
• 3 custodial positions cut
• 2 secondary school clerical positions cut
• 3 school-based parent liaison positions cut

...overall there is a reduction of 44 teaching positions from all funding sources. There are 94 positions being reduced in total.

In other news:
19 preschool teaching positions are recommended to be transferred from grant-funded to general fund funded.

We are receiving a recommendation to add (net) 30 Instructional Assistant positions (special education, for the autism program; 55 are being added from now contracted services, 16 current IAs are being converted to teaching positions, and 10 are being transferred from the general fund to grant funded).

We are receiving a recommendation to convert 16 English Language Learning IAs to teaching positions.
We are receiving a recommendation to add 2 school adjustment counselors.
We are receiving a recommendation to add 6 ESL positions.

We are receiving a recommendation to add 2 energy management positions; currently this is privately managed (if I said that was to mixed reviews, I would be overly kind).

Athletics next year is recommended to be level-funded through school choice funds.

The following will be recommended to not be funded in FY15:

Clark Masters' Program

community schools

Future Teachers' Academy

Fast ForWord

Focus on Results

Pinpoint (from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

dual enrollment

(note that much, 'though not all, of the above were funded through Race to the Top funds)

Some more general notes:
This budget is an increase of 0.6% over last year's funding (when all funding is considered).
FY15 will have a nearly 10% reducing in central administrative staff; it will have a 2.2% decrease in teaching positions.
In all areas possible, FY14 open positions have been frozen to save money without laying people off (this doesn't, please realize, change the need for the position that's open),
This budget will see the phasing out of Race to the Top and our first round of School Redesign Grants.
AND--I've said it before, but I'll say it again--all of the above are administrative recommendations for the FY15 budget. There is no Worcester Public Schools budget until a bottom line is passed by the Worcester School Committee on June 19.

FULL BUDGET COMES OUT FRIDAY! And we'll have full details on all of the above then!

as always, much more to come!

Layoffs going out today

I hate having to post this. Best information I have, with emphasis added, though: the Worcester School Committee received the following this afternoon from Superintendent Boone:

The Administration continues to work with the City Manager regarding the FY15 funding level based on the House of Representatives budget and the amount of city contribution for next year.  The WPS Budget will be available on Friday, May 9^th and will be balanced based on our estimate of local, state, and federal revenue for next year. 

In order to meet our contractual obligations with the EAW, we need to proceed with posting of job vacancies for next year. To conduct this process, we must notify employees that will be laid off or displaced next year as a result of the budget deficit based upon the Administration’s recommended budget.  These layoff and displacement notices are being provided to employees today.    

In the elementary positions, we are planning on an average districtwide class size of approximately 22.8 students and we do not anticipate class sizes of more than 30 students (unless lack of available space within schools do not allow for additional teacher positions).  Also, please know that we “over cut” the number of positions to allow for a number of positions to be available in August/September to address enrollment changes that often occur between now and the start of the new school year. 

With regards to secondary school positions, the reductions identified by the Administration would not reduce course offerings to students next year.  However, we also do not see any changes in the number of study halls offered next year. 

I am working closely with City Manager Augustus on the budget level for next year.  I will provide a full summary of the budget actions that will be included in the Administration’s FY15 budget once we finalize the level of city funding for next year.  I will provide this information as soon as we have a bottom line budget. 

And I've said it before and I'll say it again: there is no budget until it is passed by the Worcester School Committee at the end of June.

Supplemental agenda: budget!

Again, you can find the backup here!
City now over NSS for the first time since 2010
Boone: obviously, we have greater needs
critical secondary needs: recommendation to school committee
ask School Committee to support resolution
O'Connell : note of appreciation to Council
where will positions be?
Boone: pretty close to exactly where they need to be
"reticent to say which schools, lest they get really excited ahead of it"
teaching load of 125 cap; class loads exceeding that
O'Connell: is it disruptive to switch classes? Boone: some students will have a new teacher
instrument lessons? Could we use some of these funds for that now? Suggestion to hold the item pending administrative report on costs of adding that
Allen: can we refer instrument lessons to F&O? Other outstanding items in F&O, could be added in quarterly budget process
instrumental lessons referred
Boone: hope that we won't hold up hiring teachers

Petty: "the school budget has so many outside factors...next month, we won't be at net school spending"
think the commitment from the Manager was one time because the budget wasn't really set
even after the figuring that $40,000 was the hole
Council did it to bring down class sizes
"my commitment was that this would go to teachers"

Foley: thanks mayor for leadership
joint meetings "we've established an awful lot of common ground"
understand what Net School Spending is about, what it means, "that clarity is so important"
they want the money to be targeted as well
can possibly deal with remaining schools through other means

I mentioned what I said in my earlier post, including that not cutting our budget on charter reimbursement is a big deal. To my questions: the answers are yes, a charter school reimbursement in July is unusual; and the earlier city administrative number was an error. 

Biancheria: attended Tuesday evening's meeting to thank the City Council, Mayor, City Manager
Have seen different areas to dedicate money to
"this was not something that they took lightly"
$172,000 is not the cure all
donation of $25,000 for cafeteria tables from an outside source
could we do that for instrument lessons?

passes unanimously
with reconsideration so that it can be implemented tomorrow

Update from Superintendent Boone on Net School Spending: UPDATED

This morning, along with this T&G article, we've received the following from Superintendent Boone:

Attached is a recommendation from the City Manager to be presented to the City Council for the October 1, 2013 City Council meeting that provides an additional $172,000 of city contribution to the Worcester Public Schools for FY14.  Upon approval of the City Council, I will submit a supplemental item for next week’s School Committee meeting for appropriation of these new funds.  We currently are still looking to balance class sizes throughout the district, and these funds will immediately be used to hire three teachers at the secondary level.  I appreciate the work on behalf of the Mayor to get FY14 spending to the minimum level for net school spending, and this additional funding will achieve meeting the required level for the first time since FY10.  I also appreciate the efforts of the City Manager to meet our net school spending deficit by providing this additional appropriation.  I also appreciate the support of the City Council to provide an initial $255,000 to the WPS in June and I look forward to their support next week on these additional funds.  Both the City CFO Tom Zidelis and Chief Financial and Operations Officer Brian Allen have worked closely over the past several days and both agree that this additional funding will place the city approximately $130,000 above the required spending (to include the carry forward deficit). 

 I have a couple of outstanding questions on this (and it's time once again to be grateful for administrators who answer their email on weekends), including how $172,000 gets us $130,000 above when we were $177,000 below, and if the recommended teachers are additions to those we have or are already in the classroom.
I will update this post as I have more information, and clearly, we'll have this all much clearer by midweek.

UPDATE: Superintendent Boone says this will be additional teachers.

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!

Here's the recommended allocation on $1.7 million

 Note that all of the following is subject to School Committee allocation:
Tonight, Superintendent Boone announced a recommendation to the School Committee that positions be restored or added to the following elementary schools:
1 Belmont
2 Elm Park
1 Goddard
1 Grafton St
1 McGrath
1 Quinsig
1 Tatnuck Magnet
1 Flagg Street
1 Union Hill
There are also five teachers being held for assignment in the fall, pending August class numbers.

She announced that the following secondary positions would be added:
1 WEMS science
1 Burncoat High science
1 Doherty communication/advertising
1 North technology & business
1 South math
1 Worcester Tech science

And that full-time nurses would be at:
Challenge and Reach Academy
Creamer
Lake View
Lincoln St
May St
McGrath
Midland
St. Casmir
UPCS
and another full-time nurse added at Quinsig

 The School Committee takes up the budget again on June 21st.

Secondary cuts

26 teachers cut, but more teachers have been affected
Luster clarifies that all tutors have been laid off and have to reapply for their jobs
The mayor is trying to clarify how it is that we have more people getting layoff notices than there are positions cut.
Secondary principals had numbers to cut; they chose where the places were (which is why some subjects are hit harder than the others).
Mullaney clarifies that those junior to others are laid off first (the layoffs go by seniority; the cuts go by subject and building).
Boone says that this is what complicates the process: "domino process...multiple people become impacted"