2010-03-ATM-AC-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2010 ATM — MARCH 2010 Increases in contracted services for specialized service delivery to students: Annual reviews of individual education plans have warranted an increase in the need for outside contractors who provide assistance with regard to specialized services and legal proceedings. Transportation savings: A decrease in special education out -of- district transportation costs is expected due to a program that was started recently. Lexington collaborates with Arlington, Burlington, Waltham, and Watertown to enable multiple students who attend the same school to be transported in one vehicle. This successful program has resulted in $186,166 savings to the town in FY2009 and is anticipated to yield over $400,000 in savings in FY2010. The FY2011 savings from the collaborative routing is projected to be $297,000 (see page 118 of the Blue Book). However, a route reconfiguration among the member communities may be required that could reduce savings slightly. Additional staffing requirements: Fiske and the High School intensive learning programs (ILP) and Clarke's developmental learning program (DLP) will likely need additional staffing due to increases in the numbers of students served by these programs. This budget holds in reserve two unallocated teaching positions. The Committee unanimously (8 -0) recommends approval of this request. Description Funds Funding Committee Requested Source Recommendation Minuteman Regional High School Assessment $1,538,811 GF Approve (8 -0) The MRHS School Committee has accepted a budget for FY2011 of $16,238,679, a $1,257,322 or 7.19% budget decrease over the current year. This budget implements programs intended to lower extraordinarily high per -pupil expenditures and extraordinarily low student/teacher ratios which have resulted from a declining enrollment. Savings generated will help offset decreases in state aid and are one factor in a temporary cessation in the escalation in member town assessments. This budget assumes level out -of- district enrollment and a small growth of in- district students. Salaries, which make up 57% of the budget, decreased $1,094,725 (40.6 %). Staff reductions include 8 teaching positions, 5 administrators, and up to 6 FTE's of support staff. Non - salary expenses decreased $167,401 (2.3 %). Two programs, auto body and office technology, have been eliminated, supply budgets have been reduced 10 -20% and numerous adjustments have been made. The school continues its commitment to infrastructure renewal with an identical annual capital budget of $380,000. An expanded discussion of the school's capital needs can be found under Article 17, Minuteman Borrowing. As of October 1, 2009, 621 full -time students were enrolled. Roughly 60% of these students are from in- district towns and 40% are from out -of- district towns. There are no "Choice" students attending. The in- district enrollment is 7 students ( +1.9 %) higher and the out -of- district enrollment is 9 students ( -3.5 %) lower than one year earlier. Special education students comprise 40% of the FTE enrollment. Although the State caps the non - resident student tuition rate, that rate is now set using the actual in- district average cost as a factor. The non - resident tuition rate for FY2010 was set at $16,500 per student, and is expected to rise to $16,800 for FY2011. Non - resident SPED tuition assessments will rise to $5,000 per student. Member towns are assessed for the upcoming year based on their student enrollment in the current year. These assessments are used to fund the portion of this budget that is not funded by the combination of: (1) all other projected revenues, and (2) member towns' State Required Minimum (SRM) per- student payments. This year's assessments are based on an MRHS budget funded with a projected $2,029,285 of Chapter 70 money and $360,000 in transportation aid. These estimates are based on the Governor's budget H -1, which indicates a decrease of $324, 040 in state aid (- $208,383 [ -9.3 %] in Chapter 70 aid and - $115,657 [- 24.3 %] in transportation aid) compared with FY2010. Of course, all of these figures, with the Page 12