Well, so much for Greenfield’s quiet period of budget stability.
After a couple of years largely devoid of fiscal drama, the Greenfield School Department awoke recently to discover a $850,000 special-education-related smoking hole in its operating budget, triggering a mad scramble to figure out how to plug it.
“We’re looking at all options at the moment,” Greenfield School Committee Chairman Tim Farrell said. “We will get through this, though, and continue providing the best education possible for all our students.”
Good spin, but this bump has put Farrell in a bit of a unique position politically. For years, as a selectmen and then a town councilor, Farrell has had to view school budget crunches from the town’s perspective. Now, he’s on the other side of the table, where the view is much different, but, in some ways, the same.
“I think I understand things a little better having been on that side of the table,” Farrell said. “But this is not a case of mismanagement — this is something which cropped up mid-year and it’s a service we are legally required to provide.”
And provide it they will, but not easily, and not without the Town Council’s help — the same council, it could be argued, that sent the school department into the new year about $750,000 below fiscal “sea level.”
If you recall, the council approved a school operating budget that was $500,000 lighter than requested, after Mayor Bill Martin made his cuts.
The council also held off on appropriating $250,000 in special education “circuit breaker” funds, money the town often uses to prepay in anticipation of SPED costs during the year.
“This year, the council chose to hold off on spending that money until we could see where we are,” Farrell said. “But obviously, the gap is wider than we thought it would be.”
And it’s one that Farrell said was unavoidable, and nearly impossible to handicap.
“No matter how carefully you budget, if a child comes into our district who requires certain services, we are required to provide them,” Farrell said. “And if we can’t provide them here, we need to pay to send them to somewhere which has those services, which also includes the cost of transportation.”
A statement like that might lead a number of taxpayers to ask why such services aren’t offered in Greenfield, something that would negate the need to transport these kids out of district. I’m guessing that’s a question less easily answered, but one you bet will be broached by the council’s budget hawks once it comes time to draft a new school budget.
As for the current crisis, it’s looking like whatever part of the gap that’s not closed by attrition will be backfilled by another chunk of certified “free cash” headed the town’s way. But Farrell’s already starting to focus on next year, where these expenses are unlikely to lessen and may even increase.
“Special ed is one of those expenses that moves in cycles,” Farrell said. “Kids eventually leave and then new ones come in, so it’s very hard to predict, but we are doing the best we can with it, and will continue to.”
One can but hope.
Franklin County lost a broadcasting legend this past week, and I lost a mentor and friend.
If you never had the opportunity to make Glenn Cardinal’s acquaintance, you are poorer for it. One of the founding owners of WPVQ Radio — known today as “Bear Country” — Glenn went on to hold the reins at a number of local radio outlets, including WHAI, WHMP, and WKVT in Brattleboro, Vt., an operation that underwent a complete physical rebuild on his watch. To say he was universally respected in the business might be one of the greatest understatements of our time.
The thing I loved most about Glenn was his understated management style. Believe it or not, being a radio general manager isn’t an easy gig. It’s kind of like herding a bunch of cats with big voices and bigger personalities, and it can be pretty daunting.
Glenn knew how to handle it, though. He was the kind of manager who made you want to work hard, not just for the betterment of the station, but for him personally, because you didn’t want to let him down. He commanded the kind of respect that allowed him to get the most out of his people without having to use a cudgel to do it.
Simply put, he was the best radio boss I ever had, and one of the few regrets I have in this business is that I only got to work with him for a relatively short stretch. But I will cherish the memories I have long after I put the microphone down for the final time.
Rest easy, radio man. We are all better broadcasters — and better people — for having known you.
Chris Collins, who worked in local radio in a number of capacities, has observed political life in Franklin County for years. He also is a former staff reporter for The Recorder and a Greenfield native.