Dracut schools OK $26.59M budget

By Keith O’Neil, Sun Correspondent

DRACUT — In a 3-2 vote, the School Committee approved a budget of $26.59 million for fiscal 2010, but some feel the budget is not enough to properly run the school district.

Voting in favor of the budget were Chairman Matthew Sheehan and members Michael Miles and Ronald Mercier. Bonnie Elie and Michael McNamara voted against the budget.

“According to the state, that isn’t enough,” Sheehan said. “We have to do the best we can with what we have.”

“We should be at $34 million,” Miles added. “That’s what net school spending says.”

McNamara said the budget of $26.6 million “is what the town can afford at this time.”

McNamara added that Dracut is fortunate to have stimulus money in the budget, which is $708,000.

The board discussed the amount of potential layoffs in the school district, which is estimated to be between 16 and 18 employees.

“Now that the money is in place, the school administration will decide that tomorrow,” McNamara said.

“(Dracut) will lose a lot of young and very talented teachers,” Miles said.

Matthews said the school board tried to get the teachers and nurses unions to take a wage freeze, but were denied.

“The board as a whole talked to the teachers union and nurse union to take a wage freeze,” Matthews said. “Just to put off raises for one year, and they said no.”

Matthews added that the custodians agreed to a wage freeze.

Also discussed at last night’s meeting, held at Dracut High School, was the possibility that DHS has three vice principals — two full time and one part time.

“That is extreme excess,” Miles said. “There is no way we can continue with three vice principals if we lay off teachers. Hopefully, we will be down to two by the beginning of the school year.”

“Dracut is big enough to have two, three is questionable,” McNamara said.

Sheehan said the possibility of eliminating the third assistant principal will be discussed at another School Committee meeting.