Wachusett schools seek bigger budget increase than towns wanted

By Patricia Roy, The Landmark

Posted Jan 27, 2019 at 6:37 PM  

Updated Jan 27, 2019 at 6:37 PM

HOLDEN - The Wachusett Regional School District preliminary budget proposal presented last week is up about 4 percent from this year’s budget, surpassing the 3.5 percent maximum requested by some member towns, according to Superintendent Darryll McCall.

The proposed budget for fiscal 2020 totals nearly $98 million, compared to $94.2 million this year for the 7,200-student district.

“This is above 3.5 percent, but we feel we did our due diligence respectful of that request,” Mr. McCall said. He said the spending plan would continue to provide students with a solid educational foundation to build upon.

New this year, the administration is preparing a line-item budget to satisfy member towns’ request for transparency, Mr. McCall said. The towns are Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling.
Salaries and benefits amount to $77 million, almost 79 percent of the proposed budget, with several new positions, including a middle school counselor. With the new counselor, there would be a counselor in every school, Mr. McCall said. This includes an increase of $2.2 million in contracted salaries and benefits for the upcoming school year. While salaries and stipends would go up 3.7 percent over this year, health insurance and benefits are going up 8 percent.

The proposed budget also covers the cost of an additional teacher at the Early Childhood Center, needed because of the number of children entering that program in the fall, Mr. McCall said.

With a push to add tuition-free, full-day kindergarten across the district next year, the increased salary spending will also pay for three teachers and three paraprofessionals for that program, Mr. McCall said.

A full-time HVAC position is also included, to support the district’s 13 buildings.


The proposed budget for instructional support totals $3,471,865, providing Chromebook laptops for all grades at Wachusett Regional High School, materials for social and emotional learning and textbooks for Grade 2, and an early literacy program.

Transportation spending would remain level at $6.8 million. The schools sought bids for the busing contract a year in advance and will use AA Transportation, the current provider. AA Transportation agreed to keep its bid level for fiscal 2020.

In the proposed budget, operations and maintenance are up 3.9 percent over this year, at $3.6 million. Special education tuition is up $203,927, while spending for pupil services would decreased 18.7 percent to $51,240. Some money from that area would be reallocated to the budget appropriation for social and emotional learning, Deputy Superintendent Robert Berlo said.

The amount for out-of-district placements for students needing specialized programs is up 7 percent, at $3.1 million, in the proposed budget. The total cost for instruction and operations would be $10.2 million.

The school committee will hold its annual budget hearing Feb. 11. Mr. McCall said he will meet with officials in member towns during February and March. The school committee will hold its final vote on the budget on March 11. The budget then goes to the member towns to be voted on at annual town meetings in May.