School Superintendent Carol Johnson yesterday called for a series of steps to meet an anticipated deficit in the school budget for next year.
Among her proposals to the School Committee last night: Lower temperatures in schools and cut back custodial services. In addition, principals and other supervisors would not get raises and each school will have to figure out how to cut between $2,900 and $322,500 from their budgets, depending on the number of students.
Even with these and related steps, though, BPS will still face a $33 million shortfall in a roughly $1 billion budget. Steps to cut this could include re-opening contract talks with school workers, trying - again - to change the school-assignment and busing system and closing schools.
Johnson says that she has to plan now for the loss of $31 million in federal stimulus funds in the fiscal year that starts in July, 2001. Also, a new state law that expands the number of charter schools means the system will lose still more money as parents pull their kids out of BPS schools and send them to charters. At the same time, fixed costs, such as health insurance, will increase $28 million even as Mayor Tom Menino is seeking an overall $8.2 million cut in the city's allotment of the school budget.
BPS will hold a series of two-hour public hearings on budget issues:
Tues, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. Harbor Middle School 11 Charles St., Dorchester.
Thurs, Feb. 25, 6 p.m. Madison Park High School 75 Malcolm X Blvd., Roxbury.
Mon, Mar. 8, 6 p.m. English High School 144 McBride St., Jamaica Plain.
Wed, Mar. 10 , 5 p.m. Winter Chambers 26 Court St, Downtown.
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