GREENFIELD — Greenfield School Department Interim Superintendent Judith Houle presented to the City Council Ways and Means Committee this week a proposed $22.8 million budget for fiscal year 2022 with a $2.4 million offset of grants and revolving funds, reducing the total budget to $20.4 million.
Houle said that number is a 3.83 percent increase from this year’s $19.7 million budget, or $753,931. She said the district fully expects that all schools will be open full-time in the fall — currently, all schools are back to in-person learning, but parents have the option of keeping their children home to learn remotely. Per state guidelines, they won’t have that option in the fall.
“We’re still staying true to our vision,” she said.
That vision includes making sure every student has the ability to succeed. She said every family is welcome and is a “full partner” in the education of their child or children, and every educator is an “essential” factor in guiding the educational development of students.
The budget includes “major expense drivers,” Houle said, which include incremental increases, special education, technology and information, operations and student learning options.
Requested administration costs, which include salaries, are $1.4 million, while district-wide technology expenses are estimated at just over $1 million. Transportation is expected to cost $1.3 million, while special education is estimated at $2.9 million.
The three elementary schools — Federal Street School, the Discovery School at Four Corners and Newton School — have their own requests included in the total budget. They are $1.8 million for Federal Street, $2.1 million for Four Corners and $2.1 million for Newton. Greenfield Middle School is asking for $3.3 million and the high school, $4.5 million. The Academy of Early Learning is requesting $807,767.
Houle said each school asked for different positions, which are included in their budgets. For instance, the Discovery School at Four Corners is looking to increase its behaviorist from half- to full-time. It is also asking for a full-time building substitute who will be available when a teacher calls out sick, and a lunch/recess monitor for a total of $78,000.
Federal Street School has requested a full-time technology teacher who currently works a three-quarter position. The school also wants to increase its art teacher from half- to full-time and increase its physical education teacher to full-time, while also asking for a lunch/recess monitor. Those positions total $88,000.
Newton School has requested a reading teacher, music teacher, math interventionist, building monitor and librarian for a total of $340,000. Meanwhile, the middle school would like to restore its associate principal position — that person left during the pandemic and was not replaced — as well as add a Transition Program second-grade teacher, a math coach-interventionist, additional instructional assistants and money for instructional leadership team summer stipends for a total of $393,000.
Greenfield High School has requested $451,000 to restore its associate principal, a full-time Essential Skills Program teacher and instructional assistant, a construction-manufacturing teacher, reading and math interventionists and assistants for a couple of programs. Of that amount, $196,000 would come from a grant.
Houle said the district will also be receiving revenue from the state (Chapter 70) and School Choice, which will offset the budget.
“This is a level-services budget,” Houle said. “We’ll do everything to maximize funds from the city and state.”
Greenfield School Department Business Manager Andrew Paquette said the budget will probably change at least once, maybe more, as revenues change. He said by the end of this school year in June, things could shift, in which case administrators will come back to City Council to adjust their budget.
“We start with our budget, present it and then the dust settles,” he said. “If there are changes, we’ll come back to the council for a vote to revise the budget.”
School Committee Chair Amy Proietti said the public can track the budget and any changes that will have to be made as time goes on at gpsk12.org.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.