NOTE: Originally posted July 1, 2010
Brockton Post
BROCKTON—While concessions by Brockton school department unions have decreased system layoffs from about 112 to about 80, school officials are looking to an amendment in the state budget passed by Gov. Deval Patrick Wednesday to reimburse the schools an estimated $1.5 million to offset an influx of Haitian refugees.
School officials had hoped the amendment, loosely dubbed the Haitian refugee amendment, would bring more money to the district for the opening of the 2010-2011 school year and save even more jobs.
However, the amendment--led by State Rep. Geraldine Creedon--did not have any money attached to it and directs the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to create a plan based on, among other aspects, per pupil costs for districts that have had 25 or more Haitian refugees swell enrollment during the last school year.
School officials have estimated a department of education reimbursement plan based on per pupil costs would bring about $1.5 million to the district.
School Spokeswoman Jocelyn Meek said the district has had 142 Haitian refugees come into the district since the January earthquake--four in the last week.
"As it stands we were able to limp through this year," Meek said, adding, "however with the cuts we face next year there will be an impact," she said.
The school committee had to make drastic cuts because of a $9.7 million shortfall for the 2010-2011 fiscal year that began today, July 1.
The only problem is the amendment requires the state education department devise the plan by Dec. 31, likely too late to decrease cuts in the district for the opening of school in September.
“It looks like we will not know anything until the winter,” said Superintendent Matthew Malone. “I am keeping my fingers crossed and thinking positively, but the reality is that we may not see any relief until FY12,” he said.
Jonathan Considine, director of board and media relations for the state education department, said in an email the agency would begin work on the plan and submit it to the State Legislature by the end of the year.
“(The amendment) on displaced students would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide the Governor and the Legislature with an estimate of the cost of serving those kids,” Considine said. “Actual funding would require a supplemental appropriation by the Legislature,” he said.
School officials said at least the amendment was not vetoed and is a step toward help with the influx of Haitian refugees.
In the meantime, school officials are seeking every avenue for money to lessen the impact of cuts, including letter-writing and lobbying of its federal delegation in Washington D.C. and renegotiating contracts with all of the schools’ unions.
An agreement with the Brockton Education Association and signed by the School Committee earlier this month saves the district between $1.4 to $1.7 million for the 2010-2011 school year and will bring back 35 to 40 teachers who received layoff notices in the spring.
Timothy Sullivan, head of the teacher's union, said the group could have forced the district to honor the old contract, but decided to work cooperatively with the school committee.
"We chose to see how we could help them face their fiscal issues," Sullivan said.
At a special meeting Tuesday night, the School Committee approved new contracts with four of the five other school unions, saving nearly $340,000 in next year’s budget by delaying salary increases until the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
The four union contracts signed Tuesday are with the paraprofessionals, school security, custodians and food service workers. The administrative assistants are working on a new contract and are expected to have one finalized in the coming weeks.
The changes extend all of the approved contracts to 2013. All were to expire next year.
Officials said about six paraprofessional positions and eight custodians would be called back after the new agreements. Security and food service employees did not face cuts.
Lorraine Niccoli, head of the paraprofessionals union, who received much congratulations from the committee Tuesday night for the concessions, said while the agreement is not perfect, and saves only six to eight paraprofessionals out of 55 who received layoff notices, retirees benefits were not touched and that is a victory unto itself.
“We really wanted to keep the retirees whole,” Niccoli said. “The para’s do a really big job and the teachers are worried how they’re loss will effect the classroom, but in these economic times we learn to make concessions,” she said.
Along with approving the four contracts Tuesday night, the school committee also approved an early retirement incentive that would give certified personnel a lump sum payment of $15,000 and non-certified $10,000.
School Financial Services Director Aldo Petronio said employees who are a short time away from retirement could help the district by taking the incentive early and allow the system to possibly hire two younger teachers for one retiree and save the district unemployment costs.
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