Arlington’s elementary-school principals, looking ahead to next year’s budget, made clear to the School Committee Thursday, Nov. 21, what they want: reasonable class sizes, more teaching assistants and behavior specialists, better pay for library TAs.
Offsetting those goals are two issues: Enrollment is increasing, and a $700,000 spike in special-education costs.
Mark McAneny of Bishop spoke calmly but passionately, pushing priorities for all seven principals. “These assistants are doing librarian work,” he said. “They need better pay,” in addition to a job description.
Board member Paul Schlichtman pushed back, noting enrollment increases. “What shouldn’t we be doing?” he asked “It’s easier to add if we can subtract.”
A Nov. 18 memo in committee members’ pack from Diane Johnson, the schools’ chief financial officer, outlined the problem. “As was previously reported [to the School Committee in October], special education out of district tuition continues to be a place of budgetary concern, with present expectations that it run about $700,000 over what was budgeted” for the current fiscal year.
“There are [town] reserves which can cover this, but it is an important consideration in planning next year’s budget.”
At the Nov. 6 school budget subcommittee meeting, Johnson said forecasts for the next three years show “significant deficits” for schools because of enrollment and special ed.
She added: “Since the override plan came into being [in 2011], we have added almost 1,000 students to our enrollment and no one foresaw that happening …. We cannot educate 5,200 students with the same amount of money we had for 4,200 and expect the same outcome.”
Frustration expressed
Responding to Schlichtman request to find places to cut, McAneny said, “It’s frustrating … We need to find more money.”
McAneny cited the need to establish “strong, personal relationships” between teacher and students, and this best occurs in reasonable class sizes. When 26 are in a class, “management is hard,” he said.
He noted the value of behavioral specialists, listing a series of issues teachers face and that specialists can help address: among them children with Individual Education Plans, those with ADHD, disruptive students, those with mental health problems.
He advocated strongly for increasing the number of behavioral specialists and library teaching assistants. The latter employees make pitches for library budgets, handles administrative budgets and book selection.
To board member Cindy Starks’s request for the maximum class size principals seek, McAneny said he wanted a cap of about 20 in kindergarten, with 18 preferred. In fourth and fifth grades, he called 22 “manageable.” He said that once a class is larger, then dealing with “the real estate is difficult.”
Starks asked for a target number of behavior specialists needed. Stratton Principal Michael Hanna said four now work in the district, and the need is for one in each school.
She asked the question about TAs.
Peirce Principal Karen Hartley noted a fifth-grade class of 26 students at her school. She called that “way above ideal” and that any increase would help.
Priorities, what behavior specialists do
Board member Jeff Thielman asked the principals to make priorities among their requests.
“We might not all agree,” Hartley said, and the others laughed. She said all agreed on the librarian TA issue.
Asked about a second priority, principals said behavior specialists.
Superintendent Kathleen Bodie, in an effort to broaden the budget discussion, said: “We are very lean.”
Board member Bill Hayner, whose daughter is a librarian, said: “The value of a good school librarian cannot be measured.”
Starks asked what a behavior specialist does.
Jill Parkin, SPED elementary coordinator explained: “The number of kids with issues increasing …. Kids who run out of the classroom when they get upset. That’s a safety issue …. Some injure themselves …. [Different] kids have different brains.”
Starks asked: “Do they help teachers deal” with these situations?
Many heads nodded.
McAneny said he looked in the eyes of some students and sees malicious intent, “but I’m not a professional. … I need help.”
Boded added: “This is not happening only in Arlington, but is rampant in the state and in the nation.”
A school administrator in Lowell, Schlichtman said: “I can’t live without a social worker.”
The other principals present were Kristin DeFrancisco, Hardy; Dr. Eileen Driscoll Wood, Dallin; Sheri Donovan, Thompson; and Stephanie Zerchykov, Brackett.
This story was published Monday, Nov. 25, 2013.
