TURNERS FALLS — Discussing school finances in the coronavirus crisis, Franklin County Technical School Superintendent Rick Martin likes to emphasize that school is not closed — it’s just operating in a different way.
While there have been relatively small savings in areas like school supplies — a larger category for a technical school than for most — those have been mostly offset by new costs associated with remote teaching, Martin said.
Meanwhile, payroll, which makes up about 80 percent of the school’s budget, is essentially unchanged. All full-time employees are still working full-time, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has encouraged schools to retain their hourly employees, too.
“There’s a perception out there that schools are saving money,” Martin said. “Maybe we are saving on pens and paper, but we’re spending money to get kids and staff hotspots. One is trading off the other.”
Transportation, a major cost that some schools have cut down on in the coronavirus crisis, has not produced savings for Franklin Tech. DESE has warned smaller districts that their local bus companies are at risk of going out of business, and that without them, the only transportation options will be large, expensive national companies.
So, Franklin Tech has not reduced its transportation contract, but has instead continued it at its normal level by using the bus company for a countywide meal delivery service. This has been seen as a long-term financial strategy against being forced to use a larger, more expensive company, said Franklin Tech Business Manager Russ Kaubris.
“At first blush, that looks like a great area to save a ton of money. But they’ve got a lot invested in that contract,” Kaubris said.
Franklin Tech’s budget this year is about $11.7 million. On the whole, the new savings will probably slightly outweigh the new costs, Kaubris said. He estimated Franklin Tech could have 5 to 10 percent of its budget left over by the end of the school year. To put that into perspective, he said the school typically aims to end the year about 5 percent under budget.
Whatever cushion the school can manage will be helpful. In 2019, the state’s funding model for public education was revised to the benefit of rural schools, among other changes. That boost in funding could be largely wiped out by the economic shock of the coronavirus, Martin said.
School administrators generally expect the financial impact of the coronavirus to last at least two years, Martin said. Federal aid is likely at some point, Kaubris said, but who knows when.
“We’ve got fuel in our tank. Next year is a complete cloud bank to us,” Kaubris said. “We just want enough fuel in our gas tank to bring this to a soft landing in 2021, and refuel the plane and take off again in 2022.”
Reach Max Marcus at
mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.