Framingham school and town officials are meeting for an update on the school budget this week, hoping to prevent a repeat of last year's budget problems, which led to a deficit and forced the town to step in with additional funds.
"This year, we put a budget together that was extremely tight," said Philip Dinsky, chairman of the School Committee. "We just want to be clear where we are and what actions we need to take."
According to school officials, last year's budget of about $78 million had a $1.7 million deficit. The town appropriated about $82 million for the current fiscal year's budget, said the school system's interim superintendent, Eugene Thayer. The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen will meet Tuesday to discuss the budget.
"That's just the general operating budget and that's the one we'll give an update on," Thayer said. "Last year there was a deficit, so I'm trying to keep it from happening again."
Dinsky said that last year the committee miscalculated by about $1 million on the state's reimbursement for special-education costs. Roughly 17 to 19 percent of the district's students receive special-education services, according to Dinsky.
To close the gap, the town transferred funds from other departments and shifted $457,000 from its free cash account, which would normally go into a stabilization, or emergency, fund, said Mary Ellen Kelley, chief financial officer for the town.
Dinsky said that every attempt is being made to prevent a repeat of last year's mistake.
"Last year, we were going to spend more than we had," Dinsky said. "We're as confident as we can be that we're managing the budget much better than before."
Because the public schools represent a large portion of the town's budget, it's important for people to be aware of potential problems in advance, he said.
At the same time, the search for a new school superintendent has been suspended, after the School Committee voted to extend Thayer's contract until June 2009. Dinsky said the contract was finalized and signed last week.
"I am delighted he is staying," Dinsky said. "It'll give us another year with someone with a lot of experience."
Thayer, who had headed Framingham schools for nearly a decade before retiring in 1996, began his latest term in July after Christopher Martes left to take over Foxborough's school system. Martes had been Framingham superintendent for four years.
Another year with Thayer on the job means that Framingham will not have to compete with surrounding towns, such as Natick, that are also looking for superintendents, Dinsky said. And it means the district will have more time to sort out its problems.
Thayer said he is addressing several issues, including updating student assignments to schools to reflect the racial balance required by state laws.
"Gene is putting things in place and next year we'll have a chance to implement them and carry them out," Dinsky said.
Though Dinsky said he has no concrete timetable for when a new superintendent might be hired, a panel of about 25 community members will serve on a search committee to narrow down candidates and do interviews, starting sometime in the spring, with the help of a consultant.
Tuesday's meeting on the budget starts at 7:30 p.m. at the George P. King Administration Building, 454 Water St.
