GREENFIELD — The School Committee has requested additional money from City Council so the schools can be safer and add more staff.
The School Committee has requested City Council to add $400,000 to the Greenfield public schools budget when it deliberates on the budget later this month. According to School Committee Chairwoman Adrienne Nunez, the $400,000 would make it certain that no services or positions will have to be cut.
The School Committee made the request during its meeting this week, after legal opinions from city attorneys noted that additional funding could be made available for the school budget if the School Committee requests the money and two-thirds of the council votes to either move money from other departments to the schools or add money to the schools and raise the estimated tax levy.
Mayor William Martin’s budget submitted in April had an increase of $170,180 for Greenfield public schools, which was significantly lower than the committee’s proposed increase of $828,956.
School Committee member and former superintendent Susan Hollins requested the $400,000. Hollins said $50,000 could be used to improve security in schools by paying for new fencing and door locks for schools.
Then, $100,000 could pay for an additional fifth-grade teacher and an administrator at Greenfield Middle School.
The remaining $250,000, according to Hollins, would allow the schools to keep the rest of their services as is.
Martin wrote in a letter to council and residents when the proposed budget was released that there are $1.2 million in alternative funding sources for education, and recommended that the Greenfield School Department use them in place of increasing the budget significantly.
The possible funding alternatives were also sent to the School Committee. Suggestions included reducing the amount of vacant positions funded in the budget and limiting School Choice. A total of $150,000 in free cash was also recommended by Martin toward school department needs.
Hollins said after reviewing the letter the committee was able to find about $469,000 through revolving funds the school department has, but that still leaves the department $359,956 short.
The School Committee voted to unanimously recommend the request for $400,000 Wednesday. There were members absent from the meeting however, including Martin and Cameron Ward. School Superintendent Jordana Harper also was not at the meeting.
You can reach
Dan Desrochers at: ddesrochers@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257