A Few Thoughts Following Yesterday's BESE Meeting

This was our third Zoom/remote public meeting since the Governor's emergency declaration in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meetings are shorter and have fewer presentations. Admittedly, agendae have been abbreviated and this meeting covered considerably more content than the first one in March.  

While in and of itself this is not a remarkable accomplishment, it is remarkable to see just how quickly the Board can get through a lot of detail in two hours, instead of five or six. I'm grateful that we can get into the heart of the discussion, or to what's essential, in an efficient manner.

It's been wonderful hearing directly from so many diverse students, parents, and teachers from across the state. They bring a much-needed perspective to Public Comment, voices that aren't heard at most regular meetings in Malden. I'm grateful to Chair Craven for acknowledging that in our meetings, too. And I hope the 'new normal' will continue to have people Zoom-in for Public Comment.

The most frequent comment heard yesterday (and at last month's meeting, too) concerned educational equity (that it doesn't exist), along with advocacy for use of adaptive assessments and for the elimination of age-based classrooms.

As others have noted, CoVid has shone a spotlight on inequities that existed long before this pandemic, ability to access remote learning among them.

More than 10% of students in our public schools are English Learners (ELs) -- 10.8%, or 102,861, according to Commissioner Riley's testimony to the Joint Committee on Education. What's more, he said, "they also have one of the widest achievement and opportunity gaps in the state". 

Remote learning poses particular challenges for them, as was also noted by Takeru Naguyoshi ("TK"). TK is Massachusetts' 2020 Teacher of the Year. He teaches 11th and 12th grade AP Literature in New Bedford where 1/3 of students are ELs. He raised three key questions for the Board and DESE:

1. How to support internet access and tech literacy?
2. How to address (missing) attendance and engagement and the skills gap in remote settings?
3. How will we balance concern for equity with (lagging) motivation? He noted that students question why they should put in their best efforts for a pass/fail grade?

Commissioner Riley referred to a letter addressing Remote Learning Expectations that was sent to families on May 8, 2020. Yesterday, he announced that summer guidance is coming soon and fall guidance is coming in mid-June. He has tasked Anne Gilligan, DESE's Safe and Healthy Schools Coordinator, and Ventura Rodriquez, Senior Associate Commissioner for Strategic Initiatives, to co-chair the Return to School Working Group (RTSWG). RTSWG includes students, parents, teachers,  School Committees, School Superintendents, Facilities Administrators, School Nurses, School Counselors, School Transportation Operators, School Business Officials, Fire Chiefs, Public & Private Schools, Emergency Management.

As I noted earlier today on Facebook, they seem to have all the bases covered, considerably better than the Governor, who neglected to include essential representation from everyday workers on his advisory task force.

But, I digress.

The very thought of physically returning to school classrooms for instruction THIS FALL fills me with so much concern--for the health and safety of students, staff, and families; for the gaps in educational equity; for the need to realize realistic expectations (and how to reset them?); and coordination up, down, and sideways for everything that will be needed in schools and communities for at least the next year.

There's a place to provide comments to RTSWG, along with a list of its members, at this link on DESE's website: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/return-to-school-workgroup.html)

So much I'm not covering here: like the emotional toll on everyone across the system; addressing the trauma; continued support for mental health services and access to food. These should remain among our highest priorities.

Senior Associate Commissioner/CFO Bill Bell updated the Board on the education budget matters before us. Right now, CARES Act (federal) funding is the "most concrete bit of funding" and some districts will utilize it this year and next (available through September 30, 2022). 

Pair that with, "It's tough to budget at the municipal level without state funding" (understatement of the year) and you have a real, dramatic sense of the funding challenges before us. 

Bell further noted that the Governor's budget, introduced back in January ("pre-pandemic") is in the Legislature's hands.

I'm very concerned about potential austerity budgeting. We've been here before. We know that the way to grow revenue is to invest. While the Commissioner gave testimony at the Joint Committee on Education's oversight hearing on Wednesday, May 13 (copy of his testimony may be found HERE, video of the hearing, HERE), those at our meeting said that they haven't participated in any behind the scenes conversations when I asked about it. Bell said that those conversations were happening at the legislative level and that it's likely that we will "move forward with 1/12 budgets" (meaning that if budgets aren't in place by July 1, they will operate on 1/12 of the budget at a time in the interim).

My questions remain:

1. What number is the 1/12 budget going to be based on?
2. How long will 1/12 budgets be able to go on?

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Header image: Creative Commons

Board's Budget Subcommittee

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education exists, primarily, to administer state and federal education laws, of which the State's Education Budget is a part. And, while the education budget is a line item within the State's total budget allocation (as is a local education budget within a Municipality's budget), the appointed State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education exercises no budgetary authority (which is unlike locally elected School Committees who have actual budget oversight); BESE maintains policy and regulatory oversight.

Of the ~$5.2B allocated to DESE in FY17, only a tiny amount is actually discretionary:

• ~91% passes directly through DESE and goes to local districts in the form of Chapter 70 funding
• ~5% is for federal entitlement programs (IDEA, Nutrition, Perkins, Titles I, II, etc.)

• Of the remaining ~4%:
• ~3.9% is discretionary for the purpose of assigning FTEs to new programming (Civics Education, e.g.)
• less than 0.001% goes to the Department's staffing needs

The Budget Subcommittee* met for the second time this fall to help with the development of Board priorities within the FY18 State Budget. The meeting was held Tuesday, November 29 at 7:30 AM, an hour before the Board's regular monthly meeting. We had previously identified numerous interest areas, including, but not limited to: SEL, civics education, educator resources, Chapter 70 funding, extended learning time, updated health standards, reading and third grade literacy, updated arts education standards, Foundation Budget Review Commission recommendations, and full funding for MCAS 2.0. Given the State's continuing revenue challenges, Chair Craven brought forward the idea of "enforced collegiality via intergovernmental service funds", which has the potential for interagency collaboration on shared, non-academic education challenges via Section 2B of the Budget and with the Education secretariat in collaboration with Health & Human Services and Housing secretariats^

The Subcommittee brought forward its recommendations to the full Board for a vote at our regular November meeting (11/29).
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*Members of the Board's FY18 Budget Subcommittee: Katherine Craven (Chair), Margaret McKenna, Michael Moriarity, Ed Doherty, and yours truly. We meet with the commissioner and DESE financial staff. I'm pleased to have been appointed to the Budget Subcommittee each year since my appointment to the Board in 2014; this was my third time through the Board's prioritization process.

^Departments of Early Education and Care, Higher Education, Developmental Services, Public Health, and Mental Health among them. Section 2B of the FY2017 Final Budget: Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the agencies listed in this section may expend the amounts listed in this section for the provision of services to agencies listed in section 2. All expenditures made under this section shall be accompanied by a corresponding transfer of funds from an account listed in section 2 to the Intragovernmental Service Fund, established by section 2Q of chapter 29 of the General Laws. All revenues and other inflows shall be based on rates published by the seller agency that are developed in accordance with cost principles established by the United States Office of Management and Budget Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments. All rates shall be published within 30 days of the enactment of this section. No expenditures shall be made from the Intragovernmental Service Fund which would cause that fund to be in deficit at the close of fiscal year 2017. All authorizations in this section shall be charged to the Intragovernmental Service Fund and shall not be subject to section 5D of chapter 29 of the General Laws. Any balance remaining in that fund at the close of fiscal year 2017 shall be transferred to the General Fund.

Article 4: FY2017 Operating Budget (Schools)

Reports of Appropriation Committee, School Committee are received and placed on file.

FY17 School budget is $97,293,299 - a 5.68% increase from last year and $17,496 per pupil expenditure. Input from numerous stakeholders. Superintendent Dr.Mary Czajkowski thanks leadership team: School Committee members, CO administration, and Ian Daley in Finance & Business.

Key theme of this budget: ensuring on-going program excellence in light of continued growth. Four district goals used in development of this budget:

1. Contract Obligations (including COLA)
2. Legal Mandates (Special Education, transportation)
3. Enrollment Increases
4. Program Improvements (excellence, addition of elementary foreigh language

Lexington ranks 6th in 11 like communities* (#1, Weston's per pupil is $21,6521)

Salary & Wages = $81,785,398; expenses = $15,507,901 which represents 5.68% increase over FY16

Minuteman Career Technical Regional High School Superintendent Ed Bouquillon presented a budget of $19,728,097.

Lexington's contribution is $1,377,449

$115,000 is Minuteman Career Technical Regional High School transportation expense

A Town Meeting Member asks superintendent how percentage increases are based. Answer: Bureau of Labor & Statistics

Director of Special Education Ellen Sugita addressing questions from a Town Meeting Member about LABBB Collaborative Program.

Q about Shared Expenses: wants to know breakdown of Municipal, School, Retirees.

MOTION to Appropriate FY2017 Operating Budget (Schools) PASSES by more than the necessary two-thirds (156=YES; 1=NO; 3=Abstain)

Town Manager’s Recommended Budget and Financing Plan

Brown Book & Budget Docs

Appropriation Committee Reports

Article Motions

2016 Town Warrant

*The eleven like communities: Acton-Boxborough, Belmont, Brookline, Concord-Carlise, Lexington, Lincoln-Sudbury, Newton, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Winchester

ATM continues at LHS tonight, 7:15

Town Meeting will convene tonight in the auditorium of Lexington High School, 251 Waltham Street. We'll begin at 7:15 for the annual ceremony honoring LHS and Minuteman High School seniors, then take up the financial articles, beginning with Article 4: Appropriate FY2017 Operating Budget (Article Motions, pp.2-4).

While the Town’s FY2017 operating budget has many complexities, please note:

The budget process begins with the Selectmen's Goal Setting in June. In developing the annual operating budget, the Board of Selectmen continued to adhere to the following principles in order to preserve the Town’s long-term financial condition:

1. Continue to set aside funds into the Capital Stabilization Fund as part of the comprehensive long-term strategy for funding critical school and municipal projects.

2. Core services currently provided through the operating and capital budgets should be maintained, recognizing that changes in service demands may require that additional resources be provided in certain areas.

3. Resources should continue to be provided for road, intersection, traffic calming and sidewalk improvements and to address deferred maintenance in these assets.

4. Recurring revenues, not reserves or one-time revenues, should support operating expenses and debt service.

5. Debt will not be used to fund current operating expenditures.

6. Adequate reserves and contingency funds will be budgeted, consistent with the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee (2006) as adopted by the Board of Selectmen.

7. The use of reserves to fund operating expenses should be limited to cover temporary revenue shortfalls, consistent with the recommendations of the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Fiscal Task Force (2009).

8. Sufficient funds for building maintenance will be budgeted to properly maintain facilities and equipment as well as foster energy conservation.

9. One-time revenue use should be limited to funding one-time expenses (e.g., capital projects) or used to fund reserve accounts.

10.Continue to provide funding for the post-employment benefits liability (OPEB)

Also, note information about this year's Revenue Allocation Model:

It has been the Selectmen’s practice to equitably share Town revenues between the municipal departments and the School Department. Based on a model developed by the Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools and accepted by the Board of Selectmen, School Committee and financial committees, projected revenues are allocated, on a preliminary basis, such that after shared expenses are funded, 73.3 percent of all projected FY2017 general fund revenues were allocated to the School Department and 26.7 percent were allocated to municipal departments.

More information may be found in the following documents and reports:

Town Manager's Recommended Budget and Financing Plan

Brown Book & Budget Docs

Appropriation Committee Reports

Article Motions

2016 Town Warrant

Public Hearing on the Fair Share Constitutional Amendment

Proud to be one of the ten original signers of this initiative petition

The Joint Committee on Revenue meets at 10:30 AM today for a public hearing on the Fair Share Constitutional Amendment (H3933) - room B-1 at the State House. I'll be providing one minute of testimony as part of an education panel. Here are my thoughts:

Honorable Co-Chairs and Members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the Fair Share Constitutional Amendment. I’m Mary Ann Stewart, from Lexington, parent representative on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), speaking for myself, not for the Board.

I’ve been deeply involved in education from a number of local, statewide, and national perspectives. Students need a well-rounded education that’s based on a rich and varied curriculum that includes music, art, and athletics - but, many of these programs were eliminated or severely eroded in many communities during the recession years.

To provide a sound future for our children and our Commonwealth, we must ensure that all children get a great education, including those who face the greatest challenges. We need to invest more in foundation funding for school districts, early childhood education, extended day & wrap-around services, and post-secondary education.

Improving the quality of the education our children receive requires up-front investments for long term pay-offs to individual students, society, and to the workforce. Determining how to raise revenue for these long term investments is a critical challenge. We can make those investments by asking our highest income residents, who, as you know, currently pay less of their income in state and local taxes than the rest of us, to pay a little more on their income over $1 million.

Thank you for your consideration.

#Storify: 9Cs

Our state budget reflects the choices we make to strengthen communities, support vulnerable populations, and build a thriving economy.

This past Tuesday, February 3, 2015, Governor Charlie Baker announced a series of reductions to the FY15 Budget in an effort to close a $768M projected budget deficit.

I created a storify story by pulling together some tweets and other resources related to the recent 9Cs - view my storify story embedded below.

An Army of Advocates

Members of Mass PTA in DC, March 2013

Even before the financial crisis of 2008, many of our children were attending inadequately funded and over-crowded schools. Silent Auctions, Spring Fairs, and the like, are great community-building events that also raise money to shore up some budget shortfalls, but they can only go so far.