By NEIL ZOLOT
NORTH READING — The School Committee is considering instituting a universal cap on student user fees to provide relief for families with multiple children participating in multiple activities that require them, like sports and arts activities.
“We’re in agreement we want a cap,” School Committee Chair Scott Buckley said at their meeting Monday, Feb. 13. “The question is what that would be?”
He threw out $1,800 as a possible number, which he believes would have a $5,000 impact upon the school budget. Some families are paying over $2,000 in fees annually; the larger the family and more active the children, the higher the numbers. “We haven’t reached a number, but it feels like we want to do something,” Buckley said. “Whether we have to relocate $5,000 or $6,000, it sends a message we’re trying to do something about this.”
Bus fees, however, could still go up. “They’re not covering costs right now,” Buckley pointed out about the school district’s transportation company. “The cost of everything goes up; it probably needs to be adjusted. We have to be careful how much we’re subsidizing it from our own budget.”
How fee caps will happen – and when – is also still up in the air. “This will take a lot of work,” Buckley believes. He also suggested that it might need to be up to the families to make inquiries if they’re at, over or close to any future cap in fees rather than have the administration keep track of it.
The matter is one of the School Committee’s goals being reviewed at the mid-point of the school year for possible updates, specifically to “review the impact on NRPS families of the current structure and schedule for extra-curricular and athletic activities.”
Kindergarten, Pre-K fees
Another committee goal is to “support the development of the plan to reduce the kindergarten fees leading toward the eventual goal of providing free full day kindergarten and explore the next steps to increase access to universal free day Pre-K.”
“Do we want to offer Pre-K to anyone that wants it or just expand it a little?” Buckley asked rhetorically.
Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daly cautioned that looking at adjusting existing fees and expanding the program are “very different things.” There will also need to be accommodations made for students with disabilities and/or students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
Of course, all this will be affected by how much money is available in the budget. “It’s going to be a horrible year for the budget,” Buckley warned. “We’re far away from where we need to be, possibly $2 million. I don’t know how we get to level services. I don’t know how we don’t have cuts. There’s a lot of work to be done figuring out how we’re going to fund things.”
Buckley doesn’t anticipate any action on universal Pre-K for two or three years and mentioned staff health insurance and the cost of out-of-district placements as additional financial issues. “It’s going to be a tough year,” he believes. “It’s not just a school issue. It’s also a municipal-side issue.”
In discussion, Daly said he would present the School Committee and the town with multiple budgets, including those for level funding and level services.
The future of hybrid meetings
Another committee goal is to “review the policies and the processes to continue to provide opportunities for hybrid public meetings and to explore ways to continue to provide avenues for public input in order to enhance public participation in School Committee meetings.”
Members would like the hybrid meetings to continue, which includes having them be open for public participation, but also available to watch through video-conferencing. “It’s been fairly successful,” Daly feels.
“We can broadcast however we want,” Buckley added, while pointing out that hybrid meetings would still require a majority of the members to attend meetings in person, including the chair or vice-chair. “We can’t have a completely remote meeting, but if someone is traveling I’d have their voices participate,” he said.
Daly is disappointed more people don’t tune in remotely, but thinks it may be because “we haven’t had a lot of hot button issues. If we had, more people might have tuned in. If you just watch on TV, you can’t participate.”
Although he thinks some town boards and committees “have different views,” on hybrid meetings Buckley believes, “If we have a bad budget season and have parents of young children, more people may want to participate.”
He also feels public participation is critical in formulating the budget. “When it comes to cuts, we need to hear from the community,” Buckley said.
The meeting was held in the Library Media Center rather than the Distance Learning Lab, both of which are located at the Middle/High School, because the Select Board needed a larger space to accommodate the public for its meeting than is available in their meeting room at Town Hall.
After the School Committee meeting ended some members attended the Select Board meeting down the hall.