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School committee advances 2.7% FY22 budget draft to March 11 public hearing after workshop
Summary
At a Feb. 23 Blackstone‑Millville Regional School District workshop, staff outlined a proposed FY22 budget (about a 2.7% district increase), detailed proposed reductions, discussed using $140,000 of E&D (free cash) for one-time recovery costs, and flagged a $140,000 transportation increase from regionalization. The committee agreed to bring the draft to a public hearing on March 11 and to the Blackstone selectmen on March 16.
At a Feb. 23 virtual workshop, the Blackstone‑Millville Regional School District reviewed a draft FY22 budget and agreed to bring the proposal to a public hearing on March 11 and to the Blackstone board of selectmen on March 16.
Staff said committee members received two attachments: a detailed line‑by‑line budget (the “glue stick” budget) and a cover sheet summarizing reductions. The current draft shows about a 2.7% increase districtwide — roughly 1.0% for Millville and 3.7% for Blackstone — which staff presented as a starting point for public review.
Committee members reviewed specific reductions and reassignments. Staff reported they removed or reduced several requests including purchasing Envision elementary workbooks from the textbook line (saving about $22,000), reducing one math interventionist from 1.0 to 0.5 FTE, cutting a full‑time night custodian to 0.5 FTE, removing an ELA intervention position at the high school, and reducing the teacher‑of‑the‑deaf line by roughly $30,000 by converting some services to contracted providers.
Members pressed how lost intervention time would be covered; staff described a plan to realign an existing 0.5 reading‑specialist assignment, use STEM teacher schedule blocks for intervention, and consider a part‑time math interventionist if needed.
The committee discussed certified E&D (free cash) and a staff proposal to earmark $140,000. Staff explained the $140,000 split as about $50,000 for opening‑related costs and roughly $90,000 for one‑time COVID‑recovery expenditures. Several members expressed concern about spending certified balances now versus preserving them for next year; staff explained how pre‑purchases and transfers would be charged to specific account lines and affect end‑of‑year balances.
Transportation costs were highlighted as a new pressure from the regional agreement: staff estimated an approximate $140,000 increase to provide additional bus runs to both buildings. Staff said they expect roughly 75% of that increase to be reimbursed the following year, but the immediate budget impact would be material.
Other topics included athletics line‑items and missing entries (committee members asked staff to confirm whether boys tennis or certain middle‑school sports were omitted accidentally), mentor stipends and professional‑development allowances, technology licensing duplications across schools, and nursing positions created during COVID. Staff said most COVID‑era positions were intended to end at year‑end, but the lead nurse role might be converted to a stipended assignment or supplemented by a part‑time LPN depending on ongoing needs.
Staff also reviewed enrollment projections under the regional agreement and how second through fifth grades will be split across the complex and Millville next year; those shifts will affect personnel and supply allocations. Committee members asked staff to verify coding and descriptions for athletic and supply line items that appeared transposed or unclear in the exported report.
On the town side, staff reported generally supportive feedback from Millville and concerns from Blackstone officials about a projected town shortfall; staff said much of Blackstone’s local increase reflects a state‑assigned change in the minimum local contribution (MLC), not additional district actions. Members noted uncertainty about potential federal stimulus funds that could alter available revenues.
No final certification vote was taken at the workshop. The committee indicated it was comfortable advancing the draft (the approximately 2.7% increase) to the March 11 public hearing and expected to certify the budget at the committee meeting that same evening, subject to any changes raised during the hearing. The workshop ended with a voice vote to adjourn.
What happens next: the committee will present the draft at a public hearing on March 11; staff will confirm line‑item details and any missing athletic or co‑op charges before the certification vote. The Blackstone board of selectmen is slated to review the budget on March 16.
