News

Commission releases long-awaited school budget analysis

By Steve Landwehr
STAFF WRITER
Published: June 18, 2009

WENHAM — It costs a lot to run a good school system, especially if you're not getting as much state aid as other communities.

That was the essential message delivered last night by a blue ribbon commission appointed to study the cost of education in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District.

The question of whether it can realistically be done any cheaper could prove very difficult to answer indeed.

Commission Chairwoman Lisa Kane and Vice Chairman Dave Reid presented the results of their investigation to selectmen from both towns, the School Committee and about 30 interested residents.

Reid showed graphs that illustrated how each school dollar is spent, compared to similar schools around the state.

The district spends less than those other schools on operations, maintenance, insurance and benefits, and its administrative costs are about average.

Instructional services, including salaries and special education costs, are quite a bit higher than other schools, Reid said, and those two costs were the focus of much of the discussion last night.

Reid later showed a chart that indicated that between a 2.5 percent cost-of-living increase every year, and step and other increases, the salaries and wages alone boost the overall school budget about 2.7 percent, more than the annual rise in revenue that can be collected under Proposition 21âÑ2.

While that might lead to a suggestion salaries are out of line, Reid noted they're actually lower than not only similar schools, but the state average.

Which prompted an observation from Wenham resident Paul Weaver, the town's moderator and attorney.

"If you have more teachers than average and you're paying them less than average, the union has a strong argument they should get raises," Weaver said.

The commission's findings seemed to support the adage that you get what you pay for. The higher number of teachers makes for smaller class sizes, a factor that predicts success on the MCAS and other assessments.

Kane noted the combined MCAS and SAT scores for the district's students is 3,511, compared to an average 3,450 at peer schools and the statewide average of 3,000.

That success rate comes with a price. Hamilton-Wenham's per pupil expenditure, $12,106, is more than the $11,171 spent by similar schools and the statewide average of $10,588.

As for special education expenses, Kane said the district spends more than similar schools, in some cases a lot more, but the reasons for that could be hard to tease out, she said.

In fact, she said, any comparisons between school systems can be risky business.

"To compare them, you have to understand each community's values," she said. One might place a high value on fine arts programs, while another might feel math and science are priorities.

That level of investigation went beyond the commission's charge, Kane said, and in fact she asked that the group be dissolved.

It made a number of recommendations, but all would involve hiring special consultants to go beyond what the commission has done.

"We didn't have the expertise or the time to take a deep dive into analysis," she said.

Reid concurred, saying what the commission has done so far was mathematics, and now it's time to "ask the hard questions."

The School Committee and both boards of selectmen will meet soon to discuss the next step.