The Bristol Warren Regional School Committee will take its first full look at the superintendent’s proposed $57.1 million budget Wednesday night, amid concerns that the state will reduce the amount of aid the district receives this coming year due to declining enrollment and reduced use of free and reduced lunches here.

Still, Supt. Jonathan Brice said his budget plan, which utilizes spending decreases, a change in fee structures for sports and the use of its facilities, a cap on substitute teacher spending and other measures, will be adequate if passed as presented by the Joint Finance Committee. Currently, the proposed budget seeks $39.02 million from taxpayers in Warren and Bristol, an increase of $1.5 million over last year, with the rest being made up by state aid and current savings initiatives. That local spending increase would come in just under the 4 percent levy cap, at 3.985 percent.

Over the course of about 90 minutes of discussion Monday night, Dr. Brice and members of the school committee’s budget subcommittee talked about the district’s future needs, how his budget plan will help accomplish that, and why he asked for what he did.

A central part of his budget is a “district savings” line which should save $1.165 million this coming year (see sidebar). Most of the savings come from a re-shuffling of fees, spending caps, reduction in supplies and other cuts, but Dr. Brice told subcommittee members that the belt-tightening in those areas will not affect the district’s ability to provide quality education.

Ask for more?

School committee member Marge McBride said from the audience that instead of trimming money before the JFC reviews the spending request, Dr. Brice should take into account past JFC votes and ask for more:

“We need $1.1 million more than we’re asking for,” she said. “I’m not going to not vote for this budget, but I am going to say that structurally we’d be a lot sounder” with $1.1 million more.

“We’ve been not asking for enough for a very long time,” she said. “I don’t think $1 million in a $57 million budget is something that we can just toss. I really feel we should ask for what we need.”

But Dr. Brice said he sought to be realistic when designing the budget. His reading is that it will be difficult to get everything asked from the JFC if members believe there is chaff, and that the real need is for school committee members, community members and everyone else with a stake in the district to realize that the budget, as presented, contains no fat and should be supported as is:

“As superintendent I absolutely would want a budget that had another million, another million and a half,” he said. “I also think that the likelihood of us getting that budget is probably slim to none. If we could get it I would ask for it.”

“We only made these cuts because I did not believe that that $58 million was an attainable number. But I do believe that by showing that we’re willing to engage in cost containment … that’s more realistic. I need the entire community to have conversations with elected officials and say, ‘They actually need this.’ If we get to the JFC and they only want to give us two, two and a half percent, three percent … that’s not enough.”

“In the last three or four years the towns did not give us what we really needed,” subcommittee member John Bento added. “We have to come in with a figure we really, really need. If they cut us on that it’s really going to hurt. But if we don’t put forward what we think is best for the kids, and they cut us more than we really need to be cut (then) we didn’t do our part take care of our students enough. I think our budget is sound.”

One of Dr. Brice’s goals is to become one of the state’s top five schools within five years. When asked by subcommittee member Brian Bradshaw whether spending money could expedite that rise to the top, Dr. Brice hemmed:

That “is not a request or a goal that is dependent upon adding an additional million this year or $500,000 next year,” he said. “The goal has to be improving what happens in every single classroom, everyday. We get there by having time and having a focus on teaching and learning. Would additional dollars help? I don’t know if it would create the outcome earlier because this is really about teachers mastering their craft and sharing that mastery of their craft with their students. What we really need to do is invest in the types of strategies that are going to support high quality teaching and learning in every classroom.”

Those include more teacher development, more feedback from other teachers on lesson plans, and sharing educational ideas and goals.

State aid?

There were still some unknowns as of Monday’s meeting, including how much money the district will receive from the state this coming year.

Dr. Brice said he has been talking to state officials about a final number but has not heard yet. However, he has gotten word that apart from the declining state aid the district has received for years, there could be an approximately $300,000 shortfall from two other areas: Enrollment and a reduction in the number of families who have applied for free and reduced price lunches.

Subcommittee member Brian Bradshaw said the numbers show “we’re less 55 students for enrollment and less 126 students who qualify for free and reduced lunches.”

Dr. Brice said those reductions will lead to real shortfalls and, at least with respect to the lunches component, the district needs to do a better job impressing on parents the need to fill out all appropriate paperwork if they wish to receive those subsidized lunches. He also said district officials are trying to improve that: “We are taking steps to have one on one conversations with the parents.”

Wednesday’s meeting before the school committee starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Mt. Hope High School cafeteria.

Containing costs

Dr. Jonathan Brice’s proposed $57 million school budget for the coming year includes $1.16 million in cost containment and “self-supporting” financial changes. They include:

* Capping substitute spending at $350,000 saves $100,000

* Eliminate exterior program, savings of $255,000

* Eliminate exterior program staffing, savings of $50,000

* Reducing the supplies and material account saves $300,000

* Paying a portion of the athletics budgets by gate receipts and fundraising: $70,000

* Increasing use of facilities fees to cover custodial costs: $30,000

* Working toward shared services with Bristol and Warren: $60,000

* Use of technology fund balance: $300,000

Total savings: $1.165 million