So I had the opportunity to go down to the Chenery Middle School last night and sit in as The School Committee presented its FY 2009 budget to the Warrant Committee. As you may already have read, the FY 09 budget for the schools came in at $39,825,999 — a 7.5% increase over the FY 08 budget, and includes funding for full day kindergarten classes at Belmont’s elementary schools. If you’ve been following the discussion of full day kindergarten on the B2 Web site you know that, from where I stand, that’s good news.
But don’t run out to the store for the Backyardigans-themed party favors quite yet. As we know from last year’s FDK trial balloon, budgeting the extra 1% (and yes, that’s all we’re talking about here — $380,000, or one penny of every education dollar that will be spent by the town in FY 09) doesn’t mean that The Warrant Committee or the Board of Selectmen will stand behind the School Committee’s budget, or move off the “level service budget” mantra. In fact, early word from one prominent WC member is that they’re likely to reject the proposal for FDK funding yet again, arguing — like a scene from On the Waterfront — that, once again, it “ain’t our year.”
What that means is that town residents who support the schools (FDK or no) will need to put their walking shoes on and get ready to beat a path to the Chenery and to the Town Hall in the weeks and months ahead, as the town’s elected leaders begin weighing the many and conflicting demands on the town’s budget in FY 2009.
A couple things to keep in mind for those who want to show support for the schools. (This comes courtesy of John Bowe, Chairman of the School Committee, who responded to my impassioned, but ill-conceived plea to come to Wed. night’s Warrant Committee meeting.)
According to John, the best meeting to show your support for the schools at is the joint Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Warrant Committee Education Subcommittee meeting , which will likely be scheduled for Saturday morning, March 1.
John also said to keep in mind that discussions of the operating budget (which is what the SC just unveiled) are totally separate from discussions of the construction of a new Wellington School and are proceeding down a different track. So if you’re planning to attend a meeting — which has a huge impact on the debate of these issues – -make sure its one where they’ll be talking about the issue(s) that matter to you!
At Wed. evening’s meeting, Warrant Committee chair Phil Curtis acknowledged a petition with over 300 names on it in support of Full Day Kindergarten with all the fanfare that might accompany the discovery of a piece of roadkill. Parent Karen Parmett did the yeoman’s work of bringing that petition together. No surprise, then, that there will be another petition circulating in the coming days — so if you haven’t had a chance to put your name to one, now’s the time!