Middleborough Public Schools

1
Middleborough Public Schools

• FY2007 Financial Position Paper
• December 12, 2005
• Prepared by Robert M. Sullivan, Ed.D.
• Superintendent of Schools

2
Preface

• In the early 1990s, our Town experienced a
  decrease in State aid for education. When this
  reduction in State aid was combined with the lack
  of capacity by the Town to increase their share
  of supporting our childrens education, the
  School Department was forced to substantially
  restructure the delivery of services to our
  students. Major cuts in staffing and reduction
  in programs were made not in the interest of
  improving our educational system but simply to
  survive.

3
Preface

• This survival mode continued for two years.
  Without the passage of the Education Reform Act
  of 1993 that significantly increased State aid
  for education in our community, it is my
  observation that the survival mode would have
  continued without a discernible end in sight.

4
Preface

• As we conclude the third month of the 2005-2006
  school year, our school system stands at another
  critical financial crossroad. 

5
Strategic Plan

•  
• The Middleborough School Department continues to
  remain focused on steady and constant efforts to
  improve Communication, Curriculum, Instruction
  and Assessment, Human Resources and Facilities
  through the stated goals and objectives of the
  districts Strategic Plan (www.Middleborough
  .k12.ma.us).

6
Communication

• Parental involvement is increasing volunteerism
  in our schools has increased over the past three
  years, participation of parents on the elementary
  PTA and the middle school PTSA is steadily
  increasing our website and local access cable
  have become more reliable and dependable as a
  means to promote student work and to keep the
  community informed and updated.

7
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

• Our curriculum renewal process is firmly
  established and functioning. Each year teams of
  teachers and administrators work together using
  an organized and structured plan to review our
  curriculum and instructional strategies. The
  entire district is in the second year of a
  systemic professional development that is focused
  on assessment.

8
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

• A newly developed elementary K-5 report card is
  being used this school year for the first time
  that will better inform parents of the
  expectations for student performance at each
  grade level. Each year at the middle school and
  high school levels, teachers and administrators
  develop and implement programs and course
  offerings that challenge our students to reach
  their full potential.

9
Human Resources

• Despite a steady decrease in the funding for
  professional development over the past three
  years, the teachers at every level have strived
  to use all available resources to develop a
  collegial and collaborative culture.

10
Human Resources

• The teaching and administrative staff combines
  the knowledge and experience of a veteran staff
  with the enthusiasm and insight of new members to
  our school community. Almost 50 of our teaching
  and administrative staff began working in our
  district after July 1, 2001. Our new team is
  now functioning smoothly and efficiently and will
  require steady and constant resources to sustain
  and to maintain their efforts to improve student
  achievement.

11
Facilities

• Our six main educational facilities range in age
  from ninety-eight years old (School Street
  School) to the John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School
  in its sixth year of operation.

12
Facilities

• Over the past four years, recent capital
  improvements, funded and supported by Town
  Meeting and through a federal grant program, have
  been made to a) the roofing systems at the Henry
  B. Burkland School, the Mary K. Goode School and
  Middleborough High School b) the HVAC system at
  the high school c) the exterior windows at the
  high school and d) the replacement of the 34
  year old floor in the Masi Gymnasium in the high
  school.

13
Facilities

• Despite these recent projects, there is a
  continual need to support a preventative
  maintenance program that will ensure a safe and
  healthy environment for our students and staff.
  A suitable and appropriate maintenance program
  requires not only a fully staffed maintenance and
  custodial workforce but also prompt access to the
  necessary supplies and materials.

14
Facilities

• The scheduled opening of the Early Childhood
  Center in the Fall 2007 will provide a valuable
  resource for our full day Kindergarten
  instructional program. Yet, the opening of this
  renovated facility will provide only limited
  relief from the overcrowding that we are
  presently experiencing at the Burkland School,
  the Goode School and Middleborough High School.

15
Facilities

• There is a need to conduct a facility needs
  study, including enrollment projections, to
  assist in the evaluation of our current
  facilities and their capacity to meet future
  needs. The results of this study will become the
  basis for the development by the School Committee
  of a short-range and long-range plan for building
  use.

16
Intent of Position Paper

• 1) To inform the Middleborough School Committee
  and the citizens of Middleborough of details
  relative to the School Departments operational
  budget

17
Intent of Position Paper

• 2) To provide basic information regarding the
  School Departments financial situation that will
  help explain the necessity of developing an
  established and consistent source of funding to
  effectively plan for educational improvement for
  our students. Without an established and
  consistent source of funding, planning for
  educational improvement for our students becomes
  a year-to-year process. This type of planning
  becomes reactionary rather than reflective and
  strategically planned and

18
Intent of Position Paper

• 3) To emphasize that the School Department cannot
  survive another school year that requires the
  operational budget to reflect an increase of only
  1.32.
• The school department FY2006 operational budget
  increased by only 300,771 from the FY2005
  operational budget. The intent of this position
  paper is not to point fingers or to place
  blame.

19
Intent of Position Paper

• I am well aware of the Town of Middleboroughs
  yearly struggle to develop a Town budget that
  reflects the needs of all citizens, including our
  students needs as reflected in the School
  Department budget, and is fiscally responsible.
  In fact, the School Department worked
  cooperatively and beneficially with the Board of
  Selectmen and the Finance Committee to help
  provide the Towns FY2006 budget temporary relief
  by postponing 940,000 of planned expenditures
  from the school departments proposed FY2006
  operational budget.

20
Intent of Position Paper

• The school system has managed to maintain
  programs this school year by deferring spending
  for the future with the expectation and faith
  that the Town, for the 2006-2007 school year,
  will make the necessary investment in our
  students future.

21
Listing of Data

• Enrollment slide 23
• Operational Budget History slide 24
•  
• Indirect Costs slide 25
• Chapter 70 State Aid FY93 FY06 Received By
  Middleborough slide 26

• Chapter 70 State Aid FY93 FY06 Received By
  Middleborough slides 27 - 28
• Per Pupil Expenditures (PPX) slides 29
  -34
• Special Education Expenditures slide 35

22
Listing of Data

• Middleborough Public Schools as a Percent of the
  Total General Fund Expenditures slides 36 -
  37
• FY2006 School Department Budget Development
  slides 38 - 40

• Uncertainties For FY2007 Budget Development slide
  41
• Summary slides 42 - 46

23
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24
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25
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26
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27
Middleborough Chapter 70 Aid
28
Middleborough Chapter 70 Aid
29
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30
Per Pupil Expenditures (PPX) 00 - 04
31
Per Pupil Expenditure, Regular Day Programs"
32
Total Per Pupil Expenditure
33
FY04 Per Pupil Expenditure

• The Massachusetts Department of Education August
  2005 FY04 Per Pupil Expenditures report ranks
  Middleborough 37th from the bottom out of 243
  districts reporting for Total PPX ranked 50th
  from the bottom out of 243 districts reporting
  for Special Education PPX and ranked 60th from
  the bottom out of 243 districts reporting for
  Regular Education.

34
FY03 Per Pupil Expenditure

• The Massachusetts Department of Education August
  2004 FY03 Per Pupil Expenditures report ranked
  Middleborough 22nd from the bottom out of 249
  districts reporting for Total PPX ranked 17th
  from the bottom out of 249 districts reporting
  for Special Education PPX and ranked 32nd from
  the bottom out of 249 districts reporting for
  Regular Education.

35
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36
Middleborough Public Schools as a Percent of the
Total General Fund Expenditures
37
Middleborough Public Schools as a Percent of the
Total General Fund Expenditures

• Source Massachusetts Department of Revenue
  Division of Local Services Municipal Data
  Bank/Local Aid Section
• FY2004 marks the lowest percentage of education
  support as a total of the general fund
  expenditures since FY1993. There has been a
  gradual but steady decrease in the percentage of
  education support as a total of the general fund
  expenditures since FY1998.

38
FY2006 School Department Budget Development

• During the development of the FY2006 Town budget
  process, the Middleborough School Department was
  asked to assist in presenting a balanced budget
  to Town Meeting in June 2005. The School
  Department worked closely with Town Boards to
  assist in presenting a FY2006 Town Budget that
  provided temporary relief by withdrawing 940,000
  from the school departments proposed FY2006
  operational needs budget.

39
FY2006 School Department Budget Development

• The result of cooperating with the Town is severe
  reductions in all areas of the School Department
  operational budget except utilities. It will be
  necessary to present to Town Meeting in Spring
  2006 a FY2007 budget that addresses the
  reductions made by the School Department.

40
FY2006 School Department Budget Development
41
Uncertainties For FY2007 Budget Development

• Towns Ability and Commitment to Restoring School
  Department Funding

• State Aid Reductions or Level Funded
• Negotiations
• Custodians
• Secretaries
• Cafeteria Workers

42
Summary

• The Middleborough Public School system is facing
  a crucial financial juncture in regards to
  supporting an educational system that this town
  expects and deserves. Massachusetts Education
  Reform and the Federal No Child Left Behind Act
  (NCLB) have both set a standard of a higher
  quality for each and every student.

43
Summary

• With the decline in the state economy,
  Middleborough Chapter 70 (State Aid) leveled in
  FY02 and FY03 and again in FY04 and FY05 with a
  small 1.2 increase in FY06. At the same time
  the funding levels associated with the NCLB Act
  have also continued to decrease over the past two
  years.

44
Summary

• While there exists an uncertainty each year
  regarding the amount of funding that will be
  available for education, our responsibility as a
  Town is to improve the educational opportunities
  of our students rather than just maintain level
  services.

45
Summary

• As a community, we must cease looking toward
  Beacon Hill to solve our budget predicament each
  year. Our communitys challenge, therefore, is
  to explore local budget options and alternatives
  and not continue to rely on State funding.

46
Summary

• Our second President of the United States,
  President John Adams from Braintree,
  Massachusetts, urged the widest possible support
  for education. President Adams stated, Laws for
  the liberal education of youthare so extremely
  wise and useful that to a humane and generous
  mind, no expense for this purpose would be
  thought extravagant.