Portsmouth school budget seeks 1.4% hike in town’s appropriation

Overall spending plan represents 0.3% increase

By Jim McGaw
Posted 3/14/17

PORTSMOUTH — The School Committee on Tuesday sent to the Town Council a $38.09 million budget for 2017-18 that represents an overall increase of 0.3 percent over the current spending …

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Portsmouth school budget seeks 1.4% hike in town’s appropriation

Overall spending plan represents 0.3% increase

Posted

Editor's note: This story was updated on March 16 at 9:55 p.m. to reflect a clarification to comments made by committee member John Wojichowski. In speaking about possible support for a larger appropriation increase than 1.4 percent from the town, Mr. Wojichowski said he was referring to the School Committee and not the Town Council, as reported in the original story.

PORTSMOUTH — The School Committee on Tuesday sent to the Town Council a $38.09 million budget for 2017-18 that represents an overall increase of 0.3 percent over the current spending plan.

School officials are asking for a 1.4-percent increase in the town’s appropriation, from the current $31.6 million to $32.05 million (about $450,000 more).

Despite projecting $50,000 more in federal revenue, the schools are losing about $250,000 in state aid and $150,000 in local revenue.

In addition, salaries are going up by $467,959 (2.1 percent), from about $22.2 million currently to $22.65 million next year. The increase is primarily due to a 2.5-percent contractual pay raise for teachers.

However, the district is also realizing the following projected savings on the spending side:

• Employee benefits: $167,125

• Professional services: $164,681

• Supplies: $193,779 (including $113,500 savings in natural gas and electricity due to new high-efficiency boilers in all schools and LED lighting upgrades)

The new budget is nearly $240,000 less than the $38.33 million draft spending plan that was presented Feb. 14 by Chris DiIuro, the district's director of finance and administration. That preliminary plan represented a 0.9 percent overall hike in the school budget.

Mr. DiIuro said since last month’s meeting, additional savings were found in health care costs, an adjustment in teachers’ salaries, energy costs and other items.

’Squeezing too hard?’

While the School Committee voted unanimously to approve the spending plan, some members questioned whether the bottom line was actually too low.

“We’re losing a lot of revenue and salaries … are going up. Where are we able to find the savings that it’s only a 1.4-percent increase?” asked committee member John Wojichowski. “I’m just surprised it’s only 1.4, given inflation and everything else.”

Mr. Wojichowski said he was concerned the district may be “squeezing too hard” in certain areas, whether it be with supplies or other expenses. 

“I just don’t want us impacting programs one iota,” he said, adding that he believed there were four if not seven members of the School Committee who would approve a larger appropriation increase than 1.4 percent.

Mr. DiIuro insisted that he didn’t formulate the budget to hit a particular number.

“I don’t feel I’m being asked to cut anything that people are fighting for at all. This is just a natural number that we built from the ground up that people want and that supports the plan for next year,” he said. “And we’re not cutting services or programs.”

Committee member Allen Shers struck a similar note as Mr. Wojichowski, saying he was worried about taxpayers being “lulled into a false sense of security.” 

As an example he pointed to the financial risk the district takes in caring for “roughly 450,000 square feet of buildings,” most of them more than 50 years old.

“At some point, we’re going to have to be answerable to some kind of large hit,” said Mr. Shers.

Portsmouth School Committee, Portsmouth School Department

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