MANSFIELD — Town officials have managed to wipe out a multi-million dollar shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, putting to rest talk about a trash fee or bringing a Proposition 2 1/2 tax hike before voters.
The $111.4 million budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 does, however, call for the elimination of 10 to 12 school positions, upsetting some parents.
The budget represents a $3.2 million, or 2.97%, increase over this year’s $108.2 million in spending.
The anticipated deficit had run a whopping $5.3 million but last month was narrowed to $2.9 million.
Barry LaCasse, the town’s assistant town manager/finance director, told a meeting of school committee, select board and finance committee members Wednesday night the proposed budget is now balanced.
“I believe the budget meets what the town expects of us to provide a level of service,” LaCasse said.
About half the school positions slated to be eliminated would require layoffs, the remainder being from retirements and staff leaving, school officials said. Not all would be teachers.
There could be slight increases in class sizes, Superintendent Teresa Murphy said, mentioning a high school class could go from 14 to 17 or 18 students, and an elementary class may see one or two more pupils.
“Class sizes are manageable,” Murphy said, noting they had been kept lower during the early years of the pandemic.
School officials said enrollment, which has been declining the past several years, also necessitates staffing cuts. There are about 1,000 fewer students than a decade ago.
Roland Green preschool, which is seeing more students, won’t be impacted.
Edward Donoghue, assistant superintendent of finance and operations, said the schools came in with a $59 million level service budget that carried a 5.8% hike.
That initially proposed budget was reduced by $800,000 in cuts, about half shared between salaries and expenses.
Another $689,000 in reductions, all but $200,000 in salaries, has led to a $57.6 million budget that is a 3.14% jump over this year’s $55.9 million.
Posing big challenges are the gradual loss of federal COVID assistance funds, special education up over $700,000, and utility costs spiking hundreds of thousands of dollars.
About $4.9 million in pandemic funds that has come in the past few years has been paying for math and reading specialists at the elementary and middle schools, a high school psychologist, and other staffing. Some will now be covered by the budget.
“We see a need for those support positions,” Murphy said.
About 15 residents attended the meeting, and a few urged school officials not to cut the school jobs, including Leah Jeri, who is a teacher in Franklin.
“Let’s not shortchange them,” Jeri said of students.
The overall budget gap was eliminated in recent weeks by deciding to use nearly $700,000 in free cash, a reserve of unanticipated revenue and surplus funds. A total of $400,000 is being tapped from the health care stabilization fund to help cover a nearly $500,000 hike in employee health insurance costs, LaCasse said.
Also, some police services will be covered by $100,000 in opioid settlement money.
And some requested new town positions will not be filled, including an engineer and technician in the DPW.
Besides the $800,000 cut to the school budget, earlier reductions also included $409,000 from non-salary town expenses, about $268,000 from health insurance that came in with a lower than expected increase, $184,000 from town hoped for additions, and deferring $323,000 to the fall town meeting when more money should be available. Also, $410,000 more was anticipated in revenue growth.
New property tax growth is estimated at $750,000, down from this year’s $919,000. State aid is expected to run about $22.4 million — a $178,000 increase.
Negotiations are ongoing with several employee unions, including teachers. And there could be some savings in rising utility costs.
“We’re hoping to see a reduction” in rates, said select board member Jess Aptowitz, chairman of the light department.
“What is equity when you look at town and school budgets? Equity is balance between the needs of the schools, town, the taxpayers, and residents,” former select board member and school committee candidate Steven Schoonveld said. “Are we accomplishing that with this budget?”
School board members are scheduled to hold a hearing on their recommended budget April 11, and the select board will follow with their budget hearing May 3.
The spending plan will then go before the June 15 annual town meeting.
