FY 13 Superintendent’s Proposed Budget - …

Arlington Public Schools FY 13

Superintendent's Proposed Budget

February 09, 2012

Arlington Public Schools FY13 Superintendent's Proposed Budget

February 09, 2012

Table of Contents

FY13 Budget at a Glance Superintendent's Budget Message Funding Summary Budget Transfer Detail Cost Center Summary Program Summary Object Summary Budget Detail Position Control (Salary) Detail Special Education Detail FY13 Chart of Accounts & Index

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7 Section 8 Section 9 Section 10 Section 11

Section 1

FY13 Superintendent's Proposed Budget at a Glance

The passage of the property tax override in June of 2011 and the move to the Group Insurance Commission has created an improved funding outlook for the next five years, allowing for modest growth and long term planning.

The Budget for FY13 allows the District to begin the rebuilding process, laying the foundation to better realize of our District Goals, which are: Ensure all Arlington students are well prepared for academics, social, emotional, and vocation success in the 21st century. Create systems for increased communication and collaboration across the district. Provide the tools, infrastructure and systems to support district initiatives and learning environments.

The priorities of this budget are successful labor contract negotiations, an increase in related service providers in Special Education, expanded support in Information Technology and Human Resources, and increasing educational leadership with full time staffing of the Assistant Superintendent, Math Director, Stratton Principal and Special Education Director positions.

Funding Summary Town Appropriation ARRA Stimulus Funding Grants Revolving Fees & Reimbursements

Total

FY12 Budget 42,681,436 93,545 2,387,169 3,615,953

$ 48,778,103

FY13 Proposed Budget 44,642,598 2,166,941 3,724,985

$ 50,534,524

Change 1,961,162 (93,545) (220,228) 109,032

$ 1,756,421

Percent 4.6%

-100% -9.2% 3.0%

3.6%

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Section 2

FY 2013 Superintendent's Budget Message

Looking back at the last school year, the Arlington community can be very proud of its schools. Our students continue to perform at high levels in academics, performing and visual arts, athletics, and community involvement. Very able, professional, and hardworking teachers and staff support their efforts daily. The achievement of our students has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with a commendation for high MCAS achievement, and for the second year in a row the College Board placed the high school on its Annual AP? Honor Roll for expanding opportunity and improving performance for Advanced Placement students. The achievement of our students in the arts is reflected in the invitation to the Arlington High School Honors Orchestra and Ottoson Middle School Select Chorus to perform at the 2012 Massachusetts Music Educator's All-State Conference (only four musical groups were invited, so half were from Arlington) and the eighteen student awards in The Boston Globe's Scholastic Art Awards competition. In addition, the high school Jazz Band won second place in the 2011 Berklee College International Jazz Festival. In athletics, three high school indoor track athletes are ranked among the top twenty in the nation.

Because of Arlington's vote to approve the June 2011 property tax override, the School Department will not have to make sizeable budget reductions for the 2012-2013 school year. The impact of the override, particularly when combined with the savings associated with the move to the Group Insurance Commission for employee health care insurance, provides the School Department with the opportunity to confidently embark on implementing a strategic vision for the coming five years.

The FY13 budget is shaped by the nature of reductions through FY11. Serious reductions were made to all aspects of school function: administration, support staff, facilities, educational supplies and materials, curriculum leadership, student support services and direct instruction. With a mission to preserve the classroom experience for our students, cuts in prior years were designed to preserve classroom teachers. Indeed, the percentage reduction in administration FTE through FY11 was approximately 23%, while the

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Section 2

reduction in faculty FTE was approximately 5%. With the increased funding made possible by the override, it is crucial to the successful operation of the District that some of these cuts to administration be reversed.

Another factor influencing the nature of the FY13 proposed budget investments is the construction of the Thompson Elementary School during the coming school year. With the temporary closure of one elementary school, the District does not have the ability to increase elementary classroom teachers without giving up specialty classroom spaces in each elementary school. When Thompson reopens in FY14, the School Department will have much greater flexibility in terms of potential classroom space.

Finally, the School Department must continue to invest in the in-district special education programs that allow more of our students to be educated in their home community, in the most supportive and coordinated manner possible.

Starting from these realities, the proposed budget for FY13 focuses on investing in areas that are necessary to build a sound foundation for supporting the strategic vision of the Arlington Public Schools for the coming years. The budgets to be proposed for the following fiscal years will build on a solid groundwork laid in FY13 to implement the District's vision of continued educational improvement.

Vision for the Arlington Public Schools The strategic vision of the Arlington Public Schools is simply stated in the goals adopted by the School Committee which form the guiding principles for the future of education in Arlington. These goals are:

Ensure all Arlington students are well prepared for academic, social, emotional, and vocational success in the 21st century. Create systems for increased communication and collaboration across the district. Provide the tools, infrastructure and systems to support district initiatives and learning environments.

Planned Future Investments in the Arlington Public Schools The following are some of the investments that are being considered as the School Department plans for the budget years FY14 and beyond. They are designed to move the district toward its vision, as detailed in the District goals.

Math RTI/Assessment ? While Arlington's students are proficient in mathematics, we have the opportunity to support increased achievement in math by developing an integrated Mathematics Response to Intervention Program (RTI) at the elementary level that is similar in structure to our Reading Response to Intervention Program. A Math RTI Program with ongoing student benchmark assessments will replicate in math the achievement gains in reading realized through the District's successful Reading RTI Program.

Technology investments ? The District's technology plan outlines key areas for investment in educational technology to ensure Arlington's students have access to the most effective educational technology, and that teachers are trained in the pedagogy that makes the best use of technology.

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Section 2

Increased staffing at elementary schools ? As enrollments increase, additional staffing will be necessary to reduce large class sizes.

Increased staffing at Ottoson Middle School ? Additional staffing at the middle school will be necessary to respond to increased enrollments. In future years, entering classes will be larger than current grade level classes. Additionally, Technology Engineering and World Languages offerings will need to be expanded, while also increasing administrative capacity to better support teachers and students in what is a relatively large middle school.

Increased staffing at Arlington High School ? The high school's Social Studies and Math classes will benefit from reduced class sizes through increased staffing. Additional staffing will also allow the high school to increase the range of electives offered.

English Language Learners staffing ? Our ELL program will need additional staffing given enrollment increases in order to provide the level of support ELL students require to reach English proficiency quickly and with the ability to grasp the full range of curriculum offered in our schools.

Professional development ? The District has had to reduce its investment in professional development over the last few years, and we need to increase our investment in our staff in order to retain and develop the best teaching staff possible.

Writing coaches ? Writing is increasingly integrated throughout the entire school curriculum. Students need to learn to express themselves in writing in a variety of forms and modes. Using writing coaches to support teachers to become more expert in their writing instruction will ensure that all students receive excellent instruction in becoming strong writers.

Summarizing the FY13 Budget In order to lay the sound foundation for future initiatives, the priorities of this budget are successful labor contract negotiations, an increase in related service providers in Special Education, expanded support in Information Technology and Human Resources, and increased educational leadership with a full-time Assistant Superintendent, Mathematics Director K-12, Stratton Principal and Special Education Director positions. These investments are supported both by planned reallocations in certain budget areas, as well as increased funding from the Town Appropriation made possible by the 2011 override passed by the citizens of Arlington and the conversion to the GIC for employee health insurance.

Altogether, funding changes break down into the following parts: Town Appropriation, which increases 3.5% for regular education and 7% for Special Education; Grants, which are budgeted to decline by 9%, along with the loss of one-time ARRA funding; and finally, Revolving Fees and Reimbursements which are budgeted to bring in an additional 3%. The combination of these funding changes in the FY13 proposed School Budget result in a net 3.6% budget growth.

The following pages show a graphical representation of the key budget changes proposed in the FY13 budget. Following this graphical representation is a detailed description of the rationale for each additional position.

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Section 2

Conclusion The Arlington Public Schools will invest the funds entrusted to it by the taxpayers of Arlington to rebuild a solid foundation for our schools. This foundation will allow the District to support programs that provide an appropriate 21st century education for all Arlington Public Schools students. The APS faculty and staff have been and will continue to be committed, dedicated and passionate about the work we do everyday to support a rigorous learning environment in all of our schools. The entire School Department wants to convey its sincere gratitude for the financial commitment of Arlington's citizens in support of quality education for all APS students.

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Section 2

Mandatory Contract Increases

Area of Service 1 Staff 1% from prior mid year 2 Traffic Supervisors

Special Education Staff Increases for FY13

Area of Service 3 Elementary 4 6th Grade 5 7th Grade Co-Taught program 6 Related Services 7 Related Services 8 Related Services 9 Related Services 10 Related Services 11 Related Services 12 Related Services 13 Related Services 14 Related Services 15 District Wide 16 District Wide 17 SpecialEducation 18 SpecialEducation 19 District Wide

Description Detail

COLA

Estimate per Existing Contract

COLA

Estimate per Existing Contract

Increase 0.50% 2.00%

Funding

Needed 152,747

2,341

Location Peirce Ottoson

Ottoson Preschool Elementary

Elementary Elementary Dalin

Thompson Stratton Peirce Ottoson

Out of District Pre-Sch/ Elem If needed

If needed Administration

Position Description K-1 Inclusion Class TA Special Education Teacher

Special Education Teacher Speech Therapist Speech Therapist

Speech Therapist Occupational Therapy Social Worker

Social Worker Social Worker Social Worker Occupational Therapy

Team Chair Team Chair Reserve Teacher

Teaching Assistants Special Education Director

Current Needed Current

FTE FTE Salary

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 0.40

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 0.40

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 1.00

-

0.00 0.50

-

0.00 0.50

-

0.00 0.50

-

01-

05-

0.80 0.20 100,000

Projected

Salary 15,586 50,000

50,000 24,000 60,000

24,000 60,000 55,000

55,000 55,000 55,000 30,000

35,000 35,000 50,000

77,930 130,000

Funding

Needed 15,586 50,000

50,000 24,000 60,000

24,000 60,000 55,000

55,000 55,000 55,000 30,000

35,000 35,000 50,000

77,930 30,000

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