Budget Hearing May 6...What Happened.

To answer the question from the previous post, 'Will this year be different?' Let's not let this past hearing be an indication. I think at the high point the audience grew to the size of 7. But let that not detract from those that did speak on behalf of our students. Now those voices only need to increase in number.

Upon arrival to the budget hearing, I was greeted with stacks and stacks of papers--of proposed budgets, proposed budget hearing calendars, etc. During the ample time before the public was allowed to speak I tried to sift through the paperwork as well as keep my ears open for anything of note. Some items I found significant were:

-Kelly McMahon, Chair of the Early Childhood Committee spoke both to the need for sufficient funding for early childhood programs at MPS as well as funding to keep guidance counselors. She made a salient point by reminding Superintendent Andrekopoulos of a recent press conference he held with the City's chief of police making a point of regarding early childhood programs as important in the fight against crime. She also made a strong case for the guidance counselors, especially at K-8 schools, reminding the board that our students need to be well prepared to make a successful transition into high school.

-There was one additional public speaker, an MPS parent and school governance member who spoke to how individual schools are having to make really tough and undesirable choices due to budget constraints. Of course, this is something every school in the district has experience with, especially when it comes to retaining specialist teachers, like art teachers or physical education teachers. The budget outlines a $2.26 million increase to support such programs but I couldn't figure out what that would really mean come next school year.

-Other highlights? Expect cuts in the number of teachers and educational assistants meanwhile a rise in administrative positions (due to, as the Board explains, hiring more curriculum generalists). Also, due to a state grant the number school nurses will go up, improving greatly on the current ratio of nurses to students. Voucher schools were pointed to as a growing burden to tax payers and to our public schools as that cost is expected to rise to about 59.5 million dollars, a 9.8% increase from last year.