Our Views: New state money raises questions for schools
Should Portland use an additional $1.3 million to head off a tax hike, or to save jobs?
Portland Superintendent Jim Morse rolled out his much-anticipated austerity budget Wednesday night with a last-minute wrinkle.
The budget called for the elimination of 80 jobs through early retirements and layoffs and cuts to athletics, food service and maintenance programs.
The surprise was that hours before the meeting, Gov. Baldacci announced amendments to his budget that would restore $20 million of proposed cuts to schools, meaning that Portland could lose about $1.3 million less than Morse had anticipated.
Depending on how they choose to use it, the School Committee could save roughly 20 jobs or wipe out most of a $1.7 million request for a tax increase that is part of Morse's plan. Ultimately, it will be up to the voters to decide when the budget goes out to referendum, but the job of going through the budget and determining if it strikes the right balance is the School Committee's.
As Morse pointed out Wednesday, Portland is Maine's biggest school system and has a set of assets and challenges that make it unlike any other in the state. About half of its students come from poor families. Just under one-third are learning English.
And while it has an average level of participation in the special education program, an outside consultant reported last month that the program was overstaffed, which means that the city was spending too much and getting too little in return.
But the district also benefits from its size, offering choices for families, including four high school programs, that are not offered in any other school district.
The School Committee should have some hard questions: Does Morse's proposed central office shake-up, which results in the loss of just one administrative position, go far enough? Are the findings of the special education study credible, and if they are, has the superintendent responded to them adequately?
And finally, does the proposal to cut 80 jobs, including 44 teachers, 22 educational technicians and other support staff, go too far? Will the city spend years trying to rebuild a damaged school system if these cuts are carried out?
There is still a lot of work to be done on this budget, and where money is spent should get as much attention as how much will be cut.
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11 COMMENTS
heyjoe said...
Property owners can't afford another tax increase!!! There are more property owners in Portland than there are jobs lost by cuts! I say the majority rules on this.
March 5, 2010 at 2:38 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
like it or not joe they are going to get it. It's a fact of life, and the price and responsibility of living IN an organized society. Money doesnt grow on trees that why we have tax payers to pay for the services and infrastructure we require. It's called contributing to the common good. It the responsibility of citizenship. Nice to see a balanced piece from the PPH for a change.
March 5, 2010 at 7:42 AM Report abuse
MyOP2 said...
henryelm: people like you are the problem. you get lambasted with taxes and all you do is sit back and pay them. the school dept. is WAY overstaffed and needless programs and duplicated services.
March 5, 2010 at 7:51 AM Report abuse
silky said...
most likely layoffs will be non-union employees any wage freeze will be on the non-union.these folks are less of a problem to deal with.performance is irrelevant. the problems unions have created in the private sector in maine has a correlation with quality job-loss.public sector next.hang on to your wallets.
March 5, 2010 at 10:08 AM Report abuse
silky said...
upon rereading article,where did 20million come from?voodoo economics?maybe baldacci in wonderland got it from obama claus.it is not disney dollars.
March 5, 2010 at 10:40 AM Report abuse
common_cents said...
You can tax the various profit making enterprises, esp. consulting firms run by Professors and other faculty using public facilities. Time to end the free ride for the non-profit 'community'.
March 5, 2010 at 10:40 AM Report abuse
ModerateOne said...
heyjoe, you say majority rules. Would you feel the same way if the school department asked for a 10% increase, and the voters approved it?
March 5, 2010 at 10:51 AM Report abuse
GURRY70 said...
The found $20 million came from "projected" revenues. Not out of a forgotten cash drawer. Wait until you actually have the cash in hand, then consider where to spend it. Augusta does not have a very good track record in projecting future revenues!
March 5, 2010 at 11:07 AM Report abuse
RobertAT said...
I agree with common cents, for once. Portland is burdened with major properties that are non-profit. Those organizations and their employees use the infrastructure of the city, but don't pay the costs of maintaining it. It's time to find a fair way of making everyone pay for the costs in the city.
March 5, 2010 at 11:16 AM Report abuse
Chew said...
I am pleased to see a real effort being made to reduce expenses. I expect people will argue all day about the fairness or reasonableness of the proposed cuts, but the simple fact that a real effort is being made helps me feel better ablout a bad situation.
March 5, 2010 at 2:03 PM Report abuse
henryelm said...
the people WILL get to vote on it and if they don't like the bottom line, they will vote it down. You anti taxers are a riot...I haven't BEEN lambasted by tax increases and neither have you!!! Income tax rates haven't changed in decades.Property taxes? well if you want services you have to be willing pay for them-- just like you have to pay your electricity , oil, car insurance,health insurance if you want them. Have those things gone down??? NO--taxes are no diffeernt why should they be held to a different standard then any thing else you "buy"??? Just because you want to make "government" public enemy #1?
March 5, 2010 at 3:44 PM Report abuse