LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Despite the Mount Greylock Regional School District budget rising by nearly 4 percent, Lanesborough's cost to run the school is dropping.

 

The proposed fiscal 2017 budget presented by School Committee and administrative staff on Monday reduces Lanesborough's assessment by $13,549, or a minus a half percent. Williamstown is expected to see a 4.79 percent change or an increase of $237,328.

 

"Tomorrow night I will be presenting to Williamstown. It is the exact same presentation but their impacts are drastically different," Superintendent Douglas Dias said at the public hearing.

 

Dias said the driver behind the differences mostly comes from the state's required minimum contribution. That is a number derived by the state based on enrollment and property equalization value. That sets the split this year at 31.8 to 68.2 between the towns. That leads to a $54,519 decrease for Lanesborough.

 

The capital costs are increasing with the final payment for the locker room project, raising Lanesborough's capital responsibility by $36,477 and operating costs by $4,494. Both of those dig into the decrease from the state's minimum assessment.

 

Williamstown, on the other hand, is seeing close to a 5 percent increase. The town's minimum assessment rose by $52,577; operating costs jumped by $105,322; and capital costs rose by $79,322. All of that adds up to a $237,328 increase.

 

Overall the budget is up by $413,211 or 3.91 percent.

 

Dias said he still has concerns with the amount dedicated for charter school tuition. Dias said the line is increasing by $29,000 but each student who opts to attend a charter school costs the district close to $20,000, so there is a possibility of not having enough. 

 

"I am a little anxious about the charter school tuition line," Dias said, later adding, "Twenty thousand for a student to go to a charter school, if five kids go, that's $100,000."

 

The $29,000 increase for tuition charter students is only a small portion of the increase the administration had to deal with. He said the school started with an increase of $531,052 just for items already contracted into the budget. Those include a hefty $285,683 in insurance increases, the $115,000 bond payment for the locker room, and $55,609 for programs with other districts. There are also step increases (around $19,000) retirement (around $12,000) and professional development tuition (also about $12,000). 

 

"We are trying to keep ourselves at a level budget, maintaining what we have," Dias said, but just rolling those additional costs into the budget would require a 5.02 percent increase.

 

Dias said the School Committee and administration eye additional savings by not replacing a math teacher who is retiring  (saving $88,760), reducing a reading specialist position ($68,041) and replacing a retiring wellness teacher with some with a lower salary ($16,804).

 

Principal Mary MacDonald said those reductions will have an impact. Minimum class sizes are going up by two students and classes will all range from 19 to 24 students; the literacy enrichment program will be cut at the middle school but more technology and art will be available for all students; some teachers will be re-assigned to pick up a class out of their specialty; and sports will remain on reduced schedules.

 

The Williams College Fund also paved the way for additional savings for use on textbooks, supplies, and equipment. Professional development and related costs will be the same.

 

MacDonald said this budget will provide enough to continue the school's Level 1 rating and high levels of student success. She said 75 percent of students last year went on to four-year colleges or universities and 18 percent went on to two-year institutions. 

 

"The proof sometimes is what students do beyond," she said. "That's really the prize we are all anticipating."

 

She said students also produce high SAT and Advanced Placement exam scores as well and she credits some of that to the emphasis on co-curricular activities. She said the school pushes for get all students involved in something after school to keep students engages and safe. 

 

The budget's increase will also help to handle the increase in enrollment. MacDonald said there will be an increase in students from 544 to 562.

 

"Much of it is to make sure we fulfill our mission and goals," Dias said. "Our goal is to maintain what we have and protect the educational experience of our children."

 

There was little discussion following the presentation. The audience was mostly filled with members of the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee — both panels had posted the hearing so multiple members could attend and discuss without breaking Open Meeting Law.

 

However, Finance Committee Chairman Al Terranova suggested his committee take more time for review and invite school officials to a later meeting to answer any specific questions. Board of Selectmen Chairman John Goerlach asked only a few technical questions about funding mechanism with charter tuition. 

 

When asked, Goerlach responded that "it's always good to see" a budget with a reduced cost to Lanesborough.

 

The budget will be presented to Williamstown on Tuesday and a vote is expected from the School Committee following the hearing to set the budget. The proposal is available below.