June 29, 2005
Earlier this evening, the B-R School Committee ratified a budget consisting of $47,265,851 Maintenance and Operations and $210,000 in Capital Costs (lease of buildings). This amount does not include the net $1,853,871 in debt costs also due from Bridgewater ($1,107,320) and Raynham ($746,551) for approved capital projects already voted by the towns.
Starting with FY2005 operating costs of $42,768,339, the B-R Budget Sub-Committee worked with School Administration to determine a plan to return school to a full day across the district [DONE], make sure we retain prior gifted/granted positions [DONE], begin reducing some fees [DONE], and add educational staff as prioritzed by each school administrator. In all, 68 positions are now part of the school district's operational budget, with 10 positions at B-R High, 25 across the three Raynham schools and 33 across the three Bridgewater schools. [Note: At the 6/29 B-R Meeting, I incorrectly announced Bridgewater's share as 52.8 - I apologize for this mistake.] In addition, Education Assistants are being added to Kindergarten and grade 1 across the District. It is important to note that these 68 positions are a 'best estimate' at this time, based on approximations of salary costs for various positions. Some adjustments may take place later as individuals and actual salary/benefits packages can be plugged into spreadsheets to determine true actual costs; and thus modifications of actual placements.
Two majors factors played a part in not being able to accomplish everything hoped for in adding staff: (a) physical limtiations of certain buildings; for instance Burnell only has a set number of classrooms, Williams is under construction, Raynham Middle will have three classes of pre-school programs; and (b) it is often not possible to make a situation better with just one teacher since team teaching is utilized in middle school students.
Based on the overall budget, Raynham's assessment is $10,050,891 and Bridgewater's is $16,258,940. Of special note here is $159,180 of Bridgewater's assessment - share of Capital Costs (modulars). The payment from Bridgewater to B-R for these Capital Cost items has been stipulated in many places as not part of Bridgewater's $16.1M voted Town Meeting appropriation. Because this has often been said to be outside of the Town Meeting appropriation, it is added to the assessment as an expected additional payment (sometimes thought to come from the same special legislation funding the current year's Captial Costs).
Finally, because a budget figure was approved by the School Committee, it made moot any issue of a Regional Joint Town Meeting.
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
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