I think I have a solution to the school funding problem – no overrides required – in fact we’ll SAVE money.  Just send as many students possible to local private Catholic schools. No!  I’m not kidding!

If we sent 10 of our students to Notre Dame in Tyngsboro, we’ll save about $30,000.00 annually.  The tuition at NDA is $10,500 per year for their high school students.  And lest you think they provide an inferior product, this tuition includes music, art and whiz-bang technology like i-pads and Nooks!  The bonus is that if there’s a child whose anti-social behavior is bringing down the whole class, they give him or her the boot! If our students stay there to graduate, the town saves $120,000.00

There are similar savings to be had at Central Catholic and Bishop Guertin.

Now you may have an inkling as to why the Selectman are running from this override like it’s radioactive.  It is also why Mr. O’Connell’s call to arms to get as large an override as possible was particularly ill-advised.

Now I understand that NDA isn’t burdened with all the requirements that Dracut schools have to contend with and I realize and support the need to educate everyone.

You know, I saw something in the news today about potentially 86,000 Massachusetts state employees will have the option of retiring at age 50 if they’ve served for ten years.  People routinely live to 80-85.  Thirty years we’ll be paying and insuring them. I wonder what impact this will have on the State’s education aid to the towns.  But when you bring this up your local Rep says you’re trying to balance the budget on the backs of firefighters.

I love the public school my son goes to.  My wife and I have been pleased with the dedicated and hard-working staff.  We could probably afford the override.  There are many who can’t, and that doesn’t mean they are anti-education.

But right now that promise of affordable public education that was the founding principle of our country’s public school system is belied by the fact that now it’s cheaper to send them to private school.

The Dracut School Committee is meeting once again with the Board of Selectmen this evening at 6:00 p.m.
Together they will discuss options for the school department budget for the next fiscal year.
At last night’s school committee meeting, Dan O’Connell called for an override of proposition 2-1/2 of the “largest amount possible.”

The committee continued discussing, at that point, an override amount of $2.9 million.

This would be an additional tax increase to the average Dracut home of about $300, on top of the $250 which is currently planned to be added to the tax bill.

And that $300 will be forever, every year.

The increase to the schools will provide about $700,000 for technology upgrades across the district, and then fund a number of support positions (Vice Principals, Guidance, custodians, etc), no classroom teachers are involved.
Questions not answered were: “What about next year? With all these new people, would we need to ask for another increase?  It was asked, but never answered.”

Rhiannon Dutton and Ari Malliaros of the Dracut High School DECA program joined us on 980 WCAP this Saturday Morning to explain the program, and to help promote a fundraiser being held Wednesday evening.

A spaghetti supper is being run to help fund the trip to LA for 7 of our students to compete in the national competitions.

Its being held 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the high school (which just happens to be where the Candidates Night will be (up in the Library at 6:30 p.m) .. so I wouldn’t doubt that this would be a good opportunity to meet these students, as well as with some of the candidates before the Candidate’s night program.

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DECA Students on 980 WCAP to promote Fundraiser [ 7:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Superintendent Steve Stone reported at last night’s School Committee meeting that at this point, only 17 classrooms at the Dracut High School have above 30 students.

Most of these classes are at 31, with one at 33 and a couple at 32.

Dr McNamara implied that there is a goal at this point of trying to keep the high school near or below 30 students in a class, and the junior high at or below 25.

The Superintendent has been asked to provide an impact report for next year, comparing the various proposed school budgets (school, town) against staffing to predict the number of possible layoffs for expected in each case.

Food Services Director Mike Maguire came to the School Committee meeting to report on the impact to his budget caused by snow days.

He mentioned that he has two employees out on long term leave, and he is making do without replacements, but it reduces some of what he can do.

The implications to the food services budget caused by snow days, however, is “devistating.”

The fact is, the revenue from those days off is never made up.

When the replacement days are at the end of the school year, you find that the sales numbers are considerably less.

Seniors are gone, and most final are completed.. so the students at the high school are basically gone.

Late starts are just as bad, because there is no recovery possible.  When students come in later, they are more apt to stop at Dunkins, ML Shaws, or other local restaurants on the way in. Vending income drops, as well as “a la carte” sales in the cafeteria.

As of this point, the food services financial actuals compared to what was planned is off $23,000 in vending, and $13,000 in a-la -carte revenue.

The new regulations that have come down on the school districts “remove the ability of the district to sell other product” to try to recover.

This, along with the transportation deficit still being over $209,000, has the school district facing some difficult end of year decisions.

The School Committee will be meeting with the Board of Selectmen tomorrow (tuesday) evening, and is now making plans on what to do with regard to the spring town meeting.

In addition to our amazing sponsors, the crazy game show spin offs and great local talent performing, the annual Telethon offers auction items for people to bid on. This year is no different. In fact, there are many new and unique items to bid on.

• Lunch with Superintendent Stone and his administrative staff
  Art lessons with Denise Gill (ages 8-18)
• Lunch with Representative Colleen Garry at the State House
• Autographed sports memorabilia—Dustin Pedroia, Johnny Boychuck , and Deion Branch to name just a few
• Tickets to the annual High School Musical
• Tickets to the John F. Kennedy Museum, Paul Revere House, Mark Twain House, and New England Aquarium
• Membership to the Centralville Sportsmen’s Club

There are many of other exciting items to bid on….to see them all check out the Telethon March 12th to 15th on DATV channels 8 & 22 or live streamed on the DSF web site http://www.dracutscholarship.org

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I am told that a little more happened last week with the Dracut School Committee.

In recognition of the fiscal decisions needed to be made, two meetings ago, Matt Sheehan made the motion to move forward on closing the Parker Avenue School and the board voted unanimously in support.

Today, I am told that the School Committee is working now to collect all the necessary information necessary to write up a warrant article calling for the town to end its participation in the Community Preservation Act, ending the 2% surtax on our property taxes.

Ultimately, this would make available the possible increase in funds for the School District, which as of the last school committee meeting was still facing a $233,000 transportation deficit.

I think I would make that trade.

Last we heard, the Dracut CPC fund still holds somewhere between 7 and 8 million dollars, with only a portion of that needed to pay off current debts.

School Committee member Mike MIles

Mike called in to talk about the current state of the school system, chatting up all the succe

sses of the district, and noting that he did not decide yet whether to run for re-election.

The first part of the discussion was his obvious winning of the Lowell Sun man of the year.. at least for Dracut. He should have called for a recount.

The discussion went over the ongoing projects and efforts underway and closing of the Parker Ave school as well as the fact that there are still fiscal problems.

Has he decided whether he will be running?  I contacted him this morning and he has not yet.. but will let us know.

Mike MIles on 980 WCAP.. no announcement yet [ 10:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After years, if not decades of discussion, the Dracut School Committee tonight voted unanimously to start the process to close the Parker Avenue School by the start of the next school year.

This year’s utilization is 108 students, and next year was scheduled to be about 70 students.

It was just not feasible to keep the school operating for such a small number.

It was inevitable.. and could be seen years ago. It was just time that it finally happens. The savings may not be huge, but this gives those students greater resources, evens out the class sizes across the district, and gives the town an asset that we may be able to use in another way.