Newton Superintendent: Schools would get $12 million from override

NEWTON

Newton's schools would receive about $12 million for next year's education budget from a proposed Proposition 2 1/2 override, with the money going toward building maintenance, technology, and classroom aides, School Superintendent Jeffrey Young said today.

Young said he is preparing two budgets for the 2008-2009 school year.

The first, which he will present to the School Committee this evening, would give the schools a total of $171 million, a 10.5 percent increase over this year's $155 million budget. The increase of $16 million includes both the $12 million in override funds and another bump of $4 million that Mayor David B. Cohen has pledged even if the override fails, Young said.

On Jan. 28, Young is expected to present a second, $159 million budget -- one which doesn't include the override funds -- that would represent a 2.9 percent increase over this year's budget.

Due to rising costs and a system-wide enrollment expansion of 55 students, Young said the schools will need a 7.4 percent increase to maintain current programs and services.

Cohen has not announced a total figure for the proposed override, but the school's portion alone as disclosed by Young is already larger than the city's last override, a $11.5 measure approved by voters in 2002. Voters passed that measure 14,251 to 13,542, with about two-thirds of the money going to the schools and the rest funding municipal services.

City spokesman Jeremy Solomon said Cohen will announce the overall figure for the proposed override next month.

-- Rachana Rathi