BEVERLY — School Committee members will answer questions and concerns about the proposed reorganization of the school district at their Wednesday night meeting — as long the questions are submitted in writing by 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
They can be e-mailed to School Committee President Annemarie Cesa at momcesa@comcast.net, or dropped off with Superintendent James Hayes at his office in the Memorial Building.
"We're trying to work hard to answer everyone's questions," Cesa said. Having them submitted before the meeting ensures the School Committee will have the answers, and is not meant to exclude anyone, she said. Also, having them in writing will allow her to combine similar questions to make sure none of them are repeated.
Committee members have said they want to gather as much feedback from the community as possible before making a decision about next year's budget, which then has to be approved by the City Council by June 30.
The School Committee is expected to vote by mid-May on the proposal to lay off 61 employees and consolidate the city's six elementary schools into four in order to close a $2.6 million gap between spending and revenue in next year's budget.
Residents will vote on the city's first Proposition 21/2 override in a June 3 election. If it passes, the override would raise $2.5 million from increased taxes to keep the school district the same as it is now.
Hayes said he's working on a budget based on that scenario, which would include cuts for a $167,000 shortfall, but said the School Committee should make a decision about the proposed plan to consolidate elementary schools before the override vote takes place, so that the community knows where it stands.
If the override passes, the situation would change, Hayes said, but in the meantime the administration is moving forward with plans to reorganize the school district.
"It's not something we're going to wait until June 3 to work on," Hayes said.
If you go:
What: Public meeting on school reorganization
When: Wednesday, April 16, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Memorial Building, 501 Cabot St.
