School budget dance continues
The school budget process is always tricky, particularly because Lowell relies so heavily on state aid, and the school committee has to submit a budget before the amount of state aid, known as Chapter 70 funds, is revealed. The conference committee is currently meeting to forge a compromise between the House and Senate budgets, and for Lowell, the difference between the two numbers is huge (the House allocated an $800,000 increase for Lowell, compared to the Senate's $3.4 million).
In yesterday's Lowell Sun, Rep.s Golden and Nangle criticized the school commitee for using the Senate number. Golden claimed to be "confused about why they (the school committee) would go with that number in the budget." Nangle warned, "The aid isn't going to be what they expect it to be." Have they even looked at the school budget? Have they made an effort to convince their House colleagues who are on the committee that the Senate number and formula should be supported? If they aren't going to help the schools, perhaps they could at least forego the negative comments.
This kind of posturing on the part of the legislators is exactly what happens at the city council level every year. Certain councilors start saying that the schools better not expect any more money and pretty soon the voters and the school committee start believing it. Even this year, the school committee started cutting before submitting the budget and the schools managed, through painful trade-offs at every school, to absorb the almost $2 million shortage in Federal money.
As we've said before, it is not the school committee's job to think exclusively about the budget picture, beyond being reasonable and fiscally responsible (which they have been); the school committee's job is to think about the students and to protect their interests. It is the job of the legislators and councilors to choose and fund priorities. And, it is the job of voters to communicate their priorities to the elected officials.
In yesterday's Lowell Sun, Rep.s Golden and Nangle criticized the school commitee for using the Senate number. Golden claimed to be "confused about why they (the school committee) would go with that number in the budget." Nangle warned, "The aid isn't going to be what they expect it to be." Have they even looked at the school budget? Have they made an effort to convince their House colleagues who are on the committee that the Senate number and formula should be supported? If they aren't going to help the schools, perhaps they could at least forego the negative comments.
This kind of posturing on the part of the legislators is exactly what happens at the city council level every year. Certain councilors start saying that the schools better not expect any more money and pretty soon the voters and the school committee start believing it. Even this year, the school committee started cutting before submitting the budget and the schools managed, through painful trade-offs at every school, to absorb the almost $2 million shortage in Federal money.
As we've said before, it is not the school committee's job to think exclusively about the budget picture, beyond being reasonable and fiscally responsible (which they have been); the school committee's job is to think about the students and to protect their interests. It is the job of the legislators and councilors to choose and fund priorities. And, it is the job of voters to communicate their priorities to the elected officials.
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