By Owen Boss
Staff Writer
NORTHAMPTON - Faced with a projected budget shortfall of more than $3.1 million, more than 100 concerned residents, parents and community leaders crowded into the R.K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary School Wednesday night with the goal of preparing questions for city officials.
The PTO-sponsored forum, which took place in the school's library and was led by Principal Margie Riddle, outlined the schools' current plan to reduce the budget and sought alternative solutions from the parents whose children the cuts will be affecting.
Before beginning the presentation, PTO member Becky Thomas addressed a widespread rumor that city officials were looking to save money by closing the Florence elementary school, a solution she said they have considered in the past.
"No one this year has recommended closing this school yet," Thomas said, "and what we are afraid of is that they wanted to close the school last year, and with the current budget crisis we are scared that they are going to suggest we close next year. We just don't want to be caught off guard."
The dilemma with next year's budget, Riddle said, is that the mayor is asking the school to trim 12 percent from a $28 million operating budget while, to provide the same services as last year, the schools would need a 7 percent increase in funding.
"We need an additional 7 percent, and they are asking us to come down 12," Riddle said.
Closing the school, Riddle said, wouldn't come near to closing the $3 million budget gap because after adding in moving costs, additional transportation for students and the cost of maintaining an empty building, the projected savings would only add up to a little more than $300,000.
She noted that closing a school would require some justification.
"The reasons that a school district may consider closing a school are because student enrollment has gone down and is expected to stay down, the buildings themselves are in bad shape or because the students would fit in fewer buildings," Riddle said. "Our enrollment has been relatively stable, our building was recently renovated and the projected savings just aren't enough."
Currently, enrollment in the city's four elementary schools (K-5) is as follows: Ryan Road, 270 students; Jackson Street, 388; Leeds, 322; and Bridge Street, 250.
Part of the fiscal solution, Schools Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez said, could be eliminating 48 teachers and 7 teacher's aides - a plan that would mean 23 teachers across all four elementary schools, 11 at JFK Middle School and 14 at Northampton High School would lose their jobs.
One result of cutting that many teachers, Riddle said, will be noticeable increases in class size, which could be detrimental to the quality of education offered to area students.
"Average class sizes would go from about 20 students to 30," Riddle said. "When you are talking about having an average class size of about 20, you may have some classes of 16 or 17 and other classes with 25. But if the average is 30, you will end up with some classes with 27 and others with up to 35 students, and that is pretty scary."
Although the schools would save a considerable amount of money by taking those teachers' salaries from the budget, Rodriguez said, meeting Higgins' request of a 12 percent budget reduction would still require cutting extracurricular and special education programs, transportation costs and athletics.
Following a question-and-answer session, the audience broke into smaller groups and were asked to come up with a series of questions they would like to see answered by city officials.
Suggested questions included some concerning new revenue sources; several that addressed issues around closing one elementary school; and others that considered changes in bus transportation.
Those questions, Riddle said, will be reviewed at the PTO's regularly scheduled meeting next Wednesday and will be presented before the superintendent and School Committee March 12 and to Higgins when she visits the school March 23.
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.
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