Schools

School Funding Central in Attleboro Budget Hearing Tuesday

The $119 Million FY14 budget presented by Mayor Kevin Dumas was up for discussion Tuesday night.

Attleboro special education teacher Amy Luyendyk held up her classroom's history textbook to the city council Tuesday night and turned to a chapter at the end of the book called "Modern Problems."

On that page was a picture of Richard Nixon.

"This is the history book that my students are using," she told the council.

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She said she has four for the 15 students in the class.

Luyendyk's sentiments were echoed by a long line of educators, parents and residents who turned out to the council chambers to show their opposition to a $119 Million Fiscal Year 2014 budget presented by Mayor Kevin Dumas.

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City Councilors, who heard arguments for and against the budget, cannot add money. The council can only cut and make recommendations.

Dumas' budget represents $65.4 million for schools - a 4 percent increase from last year. The school committee had requested $66.6 million - a 6 percent increase - and is now facing a $1.2 million shortfall.

While many Tuesday night supported more funding for the school budget and opposed the mayor's plan, directors from every city department also formed a line to the microphone to show their support for what the mayor had presented.

Many department heads, such as Attleboro Police Chief Kyle Heagney said that the city was already operating on a "bare bones" budget, and any decrease for funding on the city side would result in significant cuts.

"This budget as presented to this honorable body is fair, equitable and reasonable," he said. "There are only so many slices of the pie and I think the mayor did a good job."

Dumas said the budget presented is balanced, reflects needs of citizens "young and old", keeps fire stations open and keeps police officers on streets.

The budget was composed even with a local aid reduction of 32.56 percent since FY 09.

"I certainly fully understand that this budget will not please everyone and honestly no budget ever could," he told the council, adding that needs that are unmet would be evaluated and discussed in the fall.

Those in opposition of the mayor's budget, however, pointed to large class sizes, teachers who often supplemented supplies, lack of textbooks, and out-dated and unreliable technology in the schools.

Attleboro High School teacher Allen Makepeace called the issue a "historical problem."

"This is not to be blamed on anybody, but Attleboro has chosen, quite frankly to underfund their school system," he said.

Makepeace's comments came after City Councilman Richard Conti told resident Laura Dolan that he conducted research to find that Attleboro is in the bottom 10 percent of actual net school spending as a percentage required. He said as far back as 2007, Attleboro has consistently been near the bottom.

"That should not be acceptable in Attleboro – giving our students the bare minimum requirement," said Makepeace, referring to Conti's research.

The FY14 budget will be back before the budget and appropriations committee before it is re-introduced to the City Council for a vote.

 

 

 

 


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