Holyoke Public Schools Operating Budget
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Fiscal Year 2017 Holyoke Public Schools Operating Budget HOLYOKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS - 57 SUFFOLK STREET, HOLYOKE, MA 01040 Facebook /holyokepublicschools @hpsholyoke *This page has been intentionally left blank. Holyoke Public Schools July 1, 2016 ~ June 30, 2017 Fiscal Year 2017 Operating Budget School Committee Members Honorable Mayor Alex Morse, Chairperson Devin Sheehan, Vice Chairperson Erin Brunelle Mildred Lefebvre Rosalee Tensley Williams Dennis Birks Irene Feliciano-Sims John Brunelle William R. Collamore Nyles L. Courchesne Dr. Stephen Zrike, Receiver June 20, 2016 Special thanks to: Chief Financial and Operations Officer Anthony W. Soto Chief of Strategy and Turnaround Erin Linville Budget Team Sara Carleton Awilda Pagan, Accounting Manager Gail Shattuck, Manager of Data Beth Gage, Chief of Talent Amanda Smith, Purchasing Clerk Patty Ferreira, Executive Administrative Assistant to CFOO …and to the other administrators, staff, and Colleagues for their collaboration and insight. T H E P U B L I C S C H O O L S of H O L Y O K E, M A S S A C H U S E T T S 57 Suffolk Street, Holyoke MA, 01040 A Message from the Receiver Dr. Stephen Zrike: It is my privilege to share the Holyoke Public Schools recommended budget for the 2017 fiscal year. The recommended budget of $90.9 million represents an increase of $1 million over FY16. This budget was thoughtfully developed with our strategic objectives and initiatives at the forefront. More specifically, we made investments to support the following five priorities: providing high quality instruction for all, creating personalized pathways for students, engaging our community, designing a system of empowered schools and building a thriving workforce. These represent essential pillars that will anchor our turnaround efforts and allow us to deliver on our promise to be Holyoke families’ first option for their child’s education. To this end, our budget supports the following: • Increased compensation for our teachers and paraprofessionals, particularly those working a full school day in our elementary and middle schools; • Hiring more SPED inclusion and ELL teachers to better meet the needs of our students most in need; • Expanding programs to provide students and families with more choices (dual language in pre-K and 2nd grade and a personalized pathway program for middle school students); • Providing our schools and staff with technology upgrades, specifically offering devices to each teacher and increasing access for students across schools; • Adopting and expanding standards-aligned curriculum; and • Implementing the recommendations from our secondary redesign team (developing a 9th grade academy, offering more dual enrollment opportunities for students, and enhancing career pathways) iii ~ We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education ~ These mission-driven commitments are being made at a time when our revenue remains virtually flat and our costs are steadily increasing. Our charter assessments and health insurance obligations have increased while some of our grant funding has either expired. This reality, coupled with our resolve to improve student outcomes resulted in an initial budget shortfall of $4.3 million. To protect our classrooms and accelerate our improvement efforts, we were forced to make difficult decisions that included significant cuts to central office staffing, resources and services. We wanted to ensure that schools had the resources necessary to effectively implement their operational plans, maximize the opportunity of a fuller school day and provide more enriching learning experiences for students. I am pleased to present this comprehensive budget that is strategically aligned to our turnaround plan. In building this budget, I want to extend my gratitude to Mr. Anthony Soto and the Office of Business Financial Services, the HPS leadership team and our school based administrators. We appreciate the continued support of our educators, School Committee members, Mayor Morse, elected officials, Holyoke taxpayers and our families. Holyoke has demonstrated that our children come first and that the community is serious about providing its youth with an exemplary education. Sincerely, Stephen Zrike iv ~ We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education ~ Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 About This Document ............................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 4 District Administrators ............................................................................................................................ 19 Organization and Financial.......................................................................................................................... 21 Introduction to Holyoke Public Schools .................................................................................................. 23 Operating Budget Development Process ................................................................................................ 29 Holyoke Public Schools General Fund Appropriation Overview ............................................................. 37 General Fund – Divisional Budget ........................................................................................................... 48 Special Revenue Funds ............................................................................................................................ 49 Summary of Major Budget Assumptions ................................................................................................ 55 Information ................................................................................................................................................. 57 General Fund Budget Forecast................................................................................................................ 58 Schools .................................................................................................................................................... 59 Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 84 Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................................... 87 v ~ We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education ~ Introduction 1 ~ We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education ~ *This page has been intentionally left blank. 2 ~ We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education ~ About This Document This budget document contains information in the form of tables, charts, and narratives in order to provide the context for important budget deliberations and decisions made by the Receiver. It also serves as a guide to help administrators, elected officials, the public and other interested parties understand the District’s programs, services, goals, and finances in the fiscal year 2017. PURPOSE STATEMENT Defining Policy: The budget supports the executive direction and provides strategic goals for the District to follow in the upcoming fiscal year. Planning Tool: The budget is a financial planning tool that allocates resources based upon an analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing the District. Communication Tool: The budget document is a communication device designed to inform the reader of major budgetary decisions faced by the District, and the fiscal and human resource allocations for the upcoming year. Focus on Performance: The budget’s layout is consistent with the District’s organizational chart and the chain of command. By stating goals and objectives, the budget supports priorities and plans for every department. 3 ~ We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education ~ Executive Summary Holyoke Public Schools is proud to present our annual operating budget. The FY 2017 budget is balanced and it achieves the Receiver’s commitment to allocate resources into the classroom. Through the strong collaborative effort of District leaders and innovative decision-making, our District can present an honest budget that puts children first. For FY 2017, the Receiver will adopt a $90.9 million general fund budget, representing a 1.1% increase over FY 2016. The District strives to achieve a budget proposal that coincides with its mission, vision, and core values, with the ultimate goal of student achievement in mind. Please note that all of the numbers presented in this budget were based on updated assumptions in the Senate Ways and Means Budget. Therefore, there is a difference between what the City Council total appropriation for the School Department was and what is being presented in this budget document. For a reconciliation of those differences please see the appendix on page 92. VISION We are Holyoke families’ 1st choice for their children’s education. Our students: Graduate with an additional credential that provides for college and career options Experience success through multiple pathways Think critically and communicate with purpose Value themselves, value others and value being part of the Holyoke