Pioneer School Committee settles on 1 percent budget increase

Well.. So we have Miller moving to school. One accomplishment to save money .Let's see  with student enrollments down, why does Miller need an assistant? I think one sectary would be sufficient especially with what we are paying them.
Also, getting rid of Cathy Hawkins-Harrison is a total disgrace and let's  call it what it is Miller seeings how she is the only one left you haven't trashed. You and that SC are sure pieces of work. This town has your number and so do the others and your time is also limited cause its a matter of time before the rest of your true colors show. You have DESTROYED PVRS INSIDE OUT. Parents are moving their kids to different schools and school choice doesn't want PVRS, you took the heart of it when you let Mike Duprey go and all that was left was Cathy Hawkins-Harrison, now your damage is complete. You're a total disgrace.
As for this school lunch program, you failed to mention how long this has been going on and how it was Pearl Rhoades School. How the hell is that possible? Taxpayers you need to question this.
We're watching.

NORTHFIELD — After North County residents pushed back on the proposed $14.5 million Pioneer Valley Regional School District budget, the School Committee settled on a smaller increase from fiscal year 2017 with a $14.2 million budget.
The $14.2 million, including approximately $140,000 in debt and capital payments, represents a 1 percent increase from FY17’s approximately $14.1 million budget. The School Committee approved the budget during a meeting Tuesday.
Coming into last week’s budget hearing, the anticipated contributions from Bernardston, Northfield, Leyden and Warwick accounted for more than $9 million of the total budget, about an 8 percent increase in overall assessments from FY17. However, with officials from each town stating their inability to support such an increase, Superintendent Ruth Miller and the School Committee returned to Tuesday’s meeting with a smaller figure.
“They felt very strongly that they wanted to listen to what (residents) said and come back with a responsible budget,” Miller said of the School Committee’s decision to pare down the spending.
The committee settled on town assessments. Northfield’s contribution will increase nearly 4 percent to approximately $4.5 million and Bernardston’s will increase over 2 percent to approximately $2.8 million, while Warwick and Leyden’s contributions would decrease by nearly 5 and 1 percent, respectively.

Further cutbacks were necessary to decrease FY18’s budget. For example, Miller explained the district hoped to put $50,000 into a contingency budget and allot another $50,000 to gradually reduce the more than $200,000 school lunch deficit. Both items will need to be cut.
Other potential cutbacks to be discussed during future meetings include textbooks, such as foreign language and math texts, and the one-to-one computer initiative, whereby Pioneer Principal Jean Bacon hoped to have a personal computer for every student by 2021. Director of Technology Karen Scanlon said she’s already agreed to put the proposal “on hold.”
“When it comes down to losing so many positions, that’s very hard to take, for any school district,” Scanlon said, referring to staff cuts for next school year. “I just felt that with a price point of $30,000, that’s half a teacher, or an (instructional assistant).”
Not having to allot professional development money to allow teachers to learn about the new Chromebooks will save a few thousand more dollars, Scanlon added. She plans to make the proposal again for FY19’s budget, and will look for available grants in the meantime.
Staff cuts remain, with Bacon saying previously that 10 full-time positions, one custodian and four instructional assistants would be cut, along with the dean of students position, now held by Cathy Hawkins-Harrison. Additionally, one districtwide technical support staff member and Librarian Fiona Chevalier would be reduced to half-time.
However, under a decreased budget, Bacon has proposed also not refilling one science teacher position following a resignation, and possibly cutting a business teacher to half-time due to low course enrollment.
During Tuesday’s meeting, committee member Sharon Fontaine made a motion to reinstate Hawkins-Harrison, however the motion failed.
The four new full-time positions and one half-time position Bacon originally proposed will likely not be included in the FY18 budget. During Tuesday’s meeting, Bacon argued for a college and career readiness facilitator and a half-time instructional assistant coordinator as being the two most important positions.
Miller said Assistant Superintendent Gail Healy is also working to restructure the district’s cafeterias so that all lunches might be cooked at Pioneer and transported to the elementary schools. Currently, Pioneer, Bernardston Elementary School and Northfield Elementary School all cook lunch, and food is transported to Pearl Rhodes Elementary School and Warwick Community School.
“Gail has come up with a great plan that will save us $20,000 in the first year,” Miller said.
Further discussion of the cafeteria restructuring and other cutbacks will take place at the next School Committee meeting on March 30 at 7 p.m. at Pioneer.