Mayor Rose - School Committee Tension on Budgets

The on-again off-again cordial relationship between some on the city council and school committee, took a turn away from cordiality during the city council meeting of January 19. Ward Three councilman and Mayor Tom Rose appeared upset with recent actions of the school committee. At its’ meeting in January the school committee accepted Superintendent Kathryn Crowley’s recommendation to ratify contracts for school principals and district administrators. This didn’t sit well with Mayor Rose. “I put this (contracts) on the docket for a few different reasons,” said Rose. “At our last meeting with the school committee the council said we’ll do our due diligence as far as helping them out with the heating, etc. at the high school. Their last meeting they gave out a bunch of contracts. How many contracts did they give out? I’ve also heard about surpluses. I want it doubly confirmed that they (school dept.) have a $5.4 to $5.6 million surplus,” added Rose.

“When we get picked apart on council spending I think we should put all our cards on the table. If we’re attacked on budget spending they also need to follow their budget,” said an agitated Rose. “When I was on the School Committee I never supported separate employee contracts,” said Ward Four councilman and former member of the school committee Tim Conley. “I think some in management need them but the average taxpayer doesn’t have a contract.” Added Conley.

“The surplus on the school side is certainly a result of the exit plan coming out of the state budget commission,” responded School Committee chairman Charles Tsonos. “Because the budget commission took over and settled all employee contracts at once, we are now faced with their expiration at the same time. It is prudent fiscal management to plan ahead for negotiations with teachers and all other groups. The lack of planning in the past caused us to reach the budget problems we experienced,” said Tsonos.

“This will be the first contract negotiations in 5 years. They (contracts) will all expire in 2017. We have to plan for this and can’t just shoot from the hip. Our budgets are always audited, any prior surpluses are known. The only contracts the mayor has referred to are for our school principals and a few central office administrators. The Superintendent recommended and we agreed that building principals will now get individual contracts instead of one agreement covering all of them,” explained Tsonos. “We are the last city to move toward individual contracts for school principals. Most, not all, received 3 year contracts. We’ve had bad contracts in the past that didn’t help with budgeting and other aspects of running schools. Now people are individually accountable.”

“There really isn’t a surplus that is free to use,” said Tsonos. “The surplus is pretty much slotted for obligated expenses. There are pension and other operating costs and items that can’t be ignored like it was in the past. Our surplus is pretty much programmed and the Superintendent will develop an outline for the council that will show specifics,” said Tsonos.

“Nobody is "hiding" $5.4 million,” said school committee member Joel Monteiro. Monteiro and some on the school committee have been at odds with city funding procedures for education. “That figure is the cumulative of a few years of surplus monies,” said Monteiro. The monies that sit in this account have been publicly ear-marked for several things, mostly facilities projects that have been delayed for several reasons, one being the turnover of Facilities Directors created by the City's action to de-consolidate that department. I've never known the School Committee to be tough to get answers from, we will continue to work with the city council to serve the best interests of students,” Monteiro added.