BERKSHIRE HILLS REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                                               Great Barrington           Stockbridge        West Stockbridge

                                                                                         SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING

                                                       PRESENTATION OF FISCAL 2017 BUDGET TO SELECT BOARDS

                 AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF GREAT BARRINGTON, STOCKBRIDGE, WEST STOCKBRIDGE

                                                  SELECTMEN’S MEETING ROOM-  STOCKBRIDGE TOWN OFFICES

                                                                                   Tuesday – February 23, 2016

Present:

School Committee:   S. Bannon, R. Bradway, R. Dohoney, D. Weston, A. Potter, J. St. Peter, W. Fields,  F. Clark

 Administration:        P. Dillon, S. Harrison          

Absent:                        C. Shelton, R. Bradway, K. Piasecki

Great Barrington:    Select Board- Ed Abrahams, Daniel Bailly, Bill Cook

                                    Finance Committee- Michael Wise, Leigh Davis

                                    Town Manager- Jennifer Tabakin

Public- Michelle Loubert (resident), Heather Bellow (Berkshire Edge), Eileen Mooney (The Newsletter)

Stockbridge:              Select Board- Chuck Gillett

Finance Committee- Holly Rhind, Diane Heady Reuss, Keith M. Raftery, Jay Bikofsky, Frank Russell

Town Administrator- Jorja-Ann Marsden

Public:                        Corey Sprague (resident), Neel Webber (Teacher/Union)

List of Documents Distributed:

February 23, 2016 Agenda

Hard copy of Slideshow Presentation

RECORDER NOTE: Meeting being transcribed from recorded DVD provided by CTSB after the fact. Length of meeting: 1hr 50min

______________________________________________________________________________

CALL TO ORDER

Superintendent Peter Dillon called the meeting to order 6:00pm

______________________________________________________________________________

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The listing of agenda items are those reasonably anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed, and other items not listed may be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. This meeting is being recorded by CTSB and will be broadcast at a later date. Minutes will be transcribed and made public, as well as added to our website, www.bhrsd.org once approved

______________________________________________________________________________

Chairman Steve Bannon: Spoke to a short explanation of the meeting. There was some confusion on social media sites. This meeting is a public meeting, anyone can attend,  but the purpose is for elected officials ( finance committee, Selectmen/Selectwomen, town managers, etc)  to get an overview of our budget and to ask questions. Our public hearing, to the General Public is Thursday night (Feb 25, 2016) at 7 o’clock at the middle school where every person will get a chance to speak for 3 minutes.

PRESENTATION OF BUDGET

Peter Dillon:

Mission of BHRSD: To ensure all students are challenged through a wide range of experiences to become engaged, curious letters and problem solvers who effectively communicate, respect diversity, and improve themselves and their community.

P.Dillon Presents Powerpoint slide show- attachment

Slide 4:

Tuition agreements with Farmington River and Richmond.

Signed an agreement with Lee to share services but not to include superintendent sharing.

Talking with Shaker Mountain School Union and Farmington River  about possible shared superintendent roles.

Choice: Choice students are accepted to fill classes but not anymore then that, as it would require additional hiring of teachers.  $5,000 per student, so “filling the room” is very advantageous.

Slide 5:

RAAC-  Agreement is being worked on. Has not been updated since 1990.  Harder conversation beginning about allocations and assessments.

MBE State Commodation for growth-Switched from MCAS to PARK

MBE- Parent-child home program- Working with United Way, Berkshire South and CHP  helping five families who need support at home with reading.

Slide 6:

DBM- Writing recognition- Voice of America/Voice of Democracy: Student Ruby Citrin won local,District, Statewide and is going on to the National level. Her essay is on the BHRSD website.

Slide 11:

E&D- Excess & Deficiency: can be up to 5% of upcoming budget- has been as high as $945,000. Taking $100,000 to put into budget.

Question: How much remains in E&D? Sharron: E&D was certified at just over $482,000 before the $100,000 withdrawal. It’s a lot less than the 5%; we could have ~$1.2Million. Helps in budget balancing and in obtaining credit.

Solar: Part of Housatonic Solar Program w/ Town of Great Barrington

Slides 13-16:

Personnel: Cuts to all 3 schools with greatest impact on the classes with lower enrollment/electives. Classes like Music Theory – those classes may set students up the best for post-high school music study at Universities like Berkeley. Cuts are similar to those potential cuts discussed last year and determination is based on enrollment, programming and the number of students affected.

P.Dillon Comments: Budget was done with a much bigger package. There are 3 bargaining groups: Berkshire Health Group- insurance savings opportunities. Vote at Berkshire Health Group about moving to a deductible plan – vote failed. Then met collaboratively with the three bargaining groups (Results back from two of the three groups), those two groups voted to shift collaboratively to a deductible plan. No other entity in the county has done this and it stands to save the district approximately $150,000 annually ( equivalent to roughly 2 teaching positions ). State mandates sharing one quarter of the savings with the collaboration – Berkshire Health Group. Classic win-win example. Thankful to the Committee and Union Members who made this happen.

P Dillon: “I would be less comfortable making this recommendation around our music program if I wasn’t entirely confident in the capacity of the folks that are in those roles.”

Sharon Harrison Presenting:

refer to slideshow attachment for complete presentation information

Slide 26:

Construction Bonds will be paid off in 2024

ST (Short Term) Borrowing- 2 years of borrowing. Capital work, purchased a truck, track & tennis court work, technology purchases

High School Maintenance: 3yrs ago there was a line item for $116,000 for extraordinary maintenance at the HS. Taken out because of proposed renovation project. When voted down, maintenance had to be put back in.

Slide 28:

Revenue: Chapter 71- Transportation Reimbursement is about 61%

Slide 29:

Medicaid Reimbursement: $65,000

Interest Income: Decreased from $10,000 to $7.500 because interest rates are down

Slide 31:

Revenue: Towns support the school at 75% through assessment.

Chapter 70 @ 10% – Looked backed to 2003 for Chapter 70 and it was 18% of BHRSD revenue, a decrease of ~$600,000. That’s a big problem. Assessments would be different if Chap 70 was still at 18%

Slide 32:

Broken-Out Assessment

Assessment of total BHSRD revenue vs. Student Enrollment

GB @ +52%   w/ 51% of students

Stockbridge @ +11%  w/ 11% of student

  1. Stockbridge @ -10.9% w/ 10.7% of students

School Choice is 4%  w/ 17% of students (out of our control – except to not accept students- revenue is not within BHRSD’s control)

Tuition @ 3.4% w/ 9% of students (SC works every year to bring this number every year)

Assessments to Member Towns- total assessment breakdown can be found online on the BHRSD website under “Data/Information/Financial”.

Q&A:

Jay Bikofsky – What is the variable in the yearly changes to each town?

  1. Sharon: Variable is the changing in the percentage of students, change in minimum local contribution, change of net assessment. Combination of those 3 changes creates the net change. Enrollment history is in the big book, page 9

Jennifer Tabakin (GB Town Manager)- State has been talking about changing Foundation

Formula.

  1. Peter: No changes yet been made. Massachusetts Budget Foundation Review Committee-

Found some issues and made set of recommendations which are being talked about but have not been voted on. RAAC Did an analysis of the budget and feels we’re doing really really well in comparison to the state and in many ways we are very fortunate now, not compared to 2003.

Jennifer Tabakin: MLC has many steps to the formula and that is the set-in-stone from the state

  1. Peter: Chapter 70 has made the greatest impact. As those percentages and funding go down the local contribution factor goes up.

Jay Bikofsky (FC St.): Would like to see a 5 year history of per student

allocation costs for each town.

  1. Sharon: I have and will get it to you.

Jennifer Tabakin: Additional ways to make transportation more efficient?

  1. Peter: The Transportation budget is high. Three years ago that we brought in the

specialist to analyze the bus routes. Does experts said that our bus routes were extremely effective and efficient for the large area we cover. We run high school and middle school kids together at elementary school kids separately currently. In the revisioning, considering changing or collapsing that system. Running all the schools at the same start and stop time actually requires more buses then what are running right now as well as with the extended day programs. Questions about putting high school and elementary school students on the same bus.

Keith Raftery (FC St)- Private parent travel results in buses being half empty when the school is

required by the state to budget for every student who was within the travel area. Private parent travel also results in congestion at each of the schools at morning drop off and after school pickup. There should be some parent education regarding.

  1. Peter: The school is obligated to provide a seat for each student unless the parent opts-out of the seat. Parents rely on the bus transportation at different of the school year because of after school activities or sports.

Jay Bikofsky- School choice is assessed how?

  1. Sharon: $5,000 state mandated per student unless it is a special ed student, then the additional costs are charged back to the town where that choice student lives. Filling a classroom to capacity does not tax the school system any more but create revenue for each empty seat filled
  2. Peter: Same principle when we choice out to other schools: districts, vocational, virtual.Once a student is accepted into choice, the school is responsible for that student because they are in the system until they move or graduate. So we have to be very thoughtful in how we handle the Choice numbers.
  3. Bill Fields: Works the same way with the 99 kids we choice out. The more cuts we make to our programs, the less attractive we are to Choice In students. “Death by 1,000 cuts.”

Unknown – SPED trend?

  1. Peter: Students are coming to school with more and more needs/challenges and we have

to meet those needs. The community is shifting to more students with needs. School budget has many areas that address those needs: early education, autistic spectrum, medical fragility that are able to come to public school now that previously would have been in types of homes or hospitals. Range is wide and there is a plan to add a social worker to help progaming at elementary school. Also looking into shared SPED services with the 5 other surrounding districts.

Bill Cooke (FC GB)- Non- personallel cuts. Aren’t we swimming in supplies?

  1. Peter: Yes. I went to each of the Principals asking they make their best judgement on how

to get to the budget-cut number. Less books, but technology takes up some of that.

 

E&D going down – With an aging school and less in E&D, what risk is that to this district as you see it as a committee?

  1. Rich Dohoney: It’s a huge risk.
  2. Steve Bannon: We are down this low because of problems with the High School. Anything that would require more than what we have would require town’s approval anyways and the towns would have to cover the costs. Every year we are warned about taking too much out of E&D and we do it when we need to. This year we’re not taking money from E&D because it is not there to take.
  3. Fred Clark: Last year’s budget took $350,000 out of E&D. Part of the delta of this budget is we have $250,000 less “revenue” taken out of our “checkbook”.

Chuck Gillette (SB St)- Re-imagining Education? What does that mean?

  1. Peter:If we keep trying to do what we’re doing in each year our fixed costs go up and most of our money is in people……. Examples given in reluctance because it’s not only my vision and has to be developed by a larger group of people. Ex: At the HS students are broken up into 4 different groups based on academic levels. This dictates our programs, staffing, scheduling, class size. A different way of organizing students into 2 or 3 groups gives to the opportunity to re-evaluate how education is provided. Ex: Push for hands-on applied learning; working a plan/program where students can apply some of their 4 years at HS in an internship in their area of interest. Staffing impact is significant.
  • We do a lot of things very well and we don’t want to stop those things that make us a great school district while putting in other things. Working hard towards a balance.

Keith Raftery- Vocational/ Trade program with shared services to retain students who are choicing out for a vocational education.

  1. Peter: HS has automotive & horticulture vocational programs that are officially certified. Others: Technology, video, early childhood, culinary arts that are accredited with BCC. We need more interesting vocational opportunities, working/talking about it a lot.

Unknown Public Member:  Elimination of art and music positions, if there is push-back from the public what alternative plan is there? Is there an alternative plan?

  1. Steve Bannon: Finance Sub-Committee approved this budget, so if we have to re-evaluate the options are 1) to increase the assessments; 2) ask the Superintendent to come up with other recommendation.
  2. Peter: The recommendations we came up with were our best-thinking and came from the principals at each school for what made most sense. There is no more wiggle-room so the re-imagining is our way out of “death by a thousand cuts”.

Michelle Loubert (Resident GB)- Retirement of Jeff fields  is not a “cut”, it is an un-filled retirement. Art position is being cut?

  1. Peter: A full time position is being reduced to half time position in the Art department. No retirement in Art, the ripple effect will happen, and based on seniority.

Michelle: Are there any costs, like unemployment, associated with cutting a full time position to a half-time position?

  1. Sharon: The municipality is required to carry 3 years of unemployment coverage for their employees. We have that in place, so it won’t add to our current budget deficit.

Michelle: Will that employee loose their benifits?

  1. Steve Bannon: No, not if they’re half-time.

Chuck Gillett (SB St)- What courses are going with half time change/cut?

  1. Peter: I have that and it doesn’t make sense to cover tonight but it will be covered at Public Forum on Thursday. It will look a little different, but there will still be band and orchestra at all schools.

Daniel Bailly (SB GB)- Alternative position cuts instead of teaching positions? Did you look at staff and administrative cuts instead?

  1. Peter: Biggest consideration from an administrative position is to share the Superintendent role with another district. Biggest consideration is geography of the coverage. Social media pulled incorrect data about being administrative top heavy. Not true. Ex: 1) Director of learning and curriculum: That person is responsible for grant writing and they easily cover their own salary in what they bring to the district in funds. Eliminating that position would be foolish. 2) Vice-principal: Teachers would then have to leave their primary position of teaching to address issues/concerns/factors that the vice-principal is now responsible for. VP are seen as valuable members of the community and cutting would be very impactful on the teachers.
  2. Bill Fields: At Finance Sub-Committee meeting we were given a detailed report from Muddy Brook principal as to what the Vice-principal does and it is instrumental to the success of teachers. When asking teachers at all schools, “What one thing would you like to see in the budget to make your job easier.?” The answer was, “Paraprofessionals, because we NEED them.” That is the same view of the NEED for a Vice-principal in the schools, to support the staff so they can do their jobs.

 

Jennifer Tabakin- (GB Town Admin) Inviting School Committee to attend town meetings to see how the school budget affects the town’s budget.

Dan Weston: The fact that we are willing to take away important teacher positions shows that we understand the great impact the SC budget has on the individual town budgets. It’s incredibly difficult to take resources away from the kids. That is done because the SC recognizes the pressure that is put on the towns by the SC budget.

 

Steve Bannon: If there are no further questions, do we have a motion to adjourn?

Motion to adjourn: Dan Weston        Seconded: Rich Dohoney    Approved: Unanimously

 

Meeting adjourned at 7:50pm

 

Submitted by:

Rebecca Burcher, Recorder

 

______________________________

Rebecca Burcher, Recorder

______________________________

School Committee Secretary