Lenox to cut school choice?

LENOX – At a recent meeting of the town’s school committee, Chairman Don W. Fitzgerald requested for the district’s administration to look into the implications of withdrawing from school choice, at least in the early grade levels.

When speaking with The Beacon, Superintendent Edward W. Costa II said the administration has been tasked by the school committee to look into a variety of options in regard to the future of school choice in Lenox.

“[Chairman Fitzgerald] wants us to develop scenarios for the next few years,” he said.

Under Massachusetts law, school committees must opt in to participate in school choice, and they can limit the grade levels participating. For example, students in grades four through 12 can choice into any open seats, but a district can still close kindergarten through third grade.

Part of the requested data for the administration to bring to the school committee includes a breakdown by grade level of how many students are coming in and out of the district.

On its website (lenoxps.org), the district has posted the following openings for school choice for the 2013-2014 school year: 20 in kindergarten, eight in first grade, three in third, 10 in sixth, 10 in seventh, 12 in 10th and two in 11th.

Dr. Costa did not have any speculation on the direction the school committee would go in regard to school choice, only saying, “It’s a revenue for the district, both financially and culturally, in terms of bringing students from other towns to Lenox.”

For every student who choices in, the district gets $5,000. With 227 students choicing in and only 41 choicing out of Lenox Public Schools, it does appear to be a major revenue source.

Budget season in full swing

Chairman Fitzgerald’s request comes in the midst of fiscal year 2014 budget season.

“We’re in the middle of a very difficult budget season,” Chairman Fitzgerald said. “We have questions on available financials.”

A preliminary large-scale needs budget for FY ’14 presented by the Lenox Public Schools administration rests at a total of $10,240,868, an increase of 2.64 percent ($262,954) over FY ’13.

Subtracting outside funding sources such as choice and Chapter 70, the total preliminary budget assessment is reduced to $8,970,968, an increase of 3.99 percent ($344,054) over FY ’13.

These FY ’14 figures do not include employee benefits. The total town assessment for FY ’13 (including benefits) reached $9,715,973.

Dr. Costa stressed this is just a preliminary budget and the figures will be adjusted in the coming weeks.

“That is just the first process of a long budget season,” he said.

The budget will further be discussed on Monday (March 18) at a joint meeting of the school committee, finance committee and board of selectmen at 7 p.m. at Lenox Town Hall.

“I’m hopeful for very constructive and collaborative talks with them,” said School Committee Secretary Veronica J. Fenton.

A public budget hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 25, also at town hall.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on March 14, 2013. Filed under Education News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry