Budget Overview
Preliminary Budget as of February 15, 2020
The Fiscal Year 2021 budget is built to support the Public Schools of Brookline’s mission to ensure that every student develops the skills and knowledge to pursue a productive and fulfilling life, to participate thoughtfully in a democracy, and succeed in a diverse and evolving global society. The budget rests on two foundational beliefs:
1. Brookline should expect nothing less than exceptional and equitable outcomes for all of our learners. We must use our resources to ensure that we
enable every student to succeed at high levels.
2. In an effective school system, what takes place in our classrooms and in our schools matters the most. The resources of the district must be organized in
a way that recognizes the centrality of our classrooms. As such, the administration team supports principals as instructional leaders, so principals can
support educators, and educators can support each one of our students achieve their learning goals. Through our budget choices, the school district is
organized so that we support high quality instruction at all levels, prioritize the work that happens between students and educators in our classrooms, and
build on our strengths and our challenges openly.
Our primary focus remains high quality teaching and learning for all students and especially for students in groups we know are disproportionately impacted by opportunity and outcome gaps - including race, income, disability, and language status. This budget prioritizes the staffing, program, and materials needed to ensure educators have the resources needed to support individual student needs.
As a district, we must support students and educators - both inside and outside of the classroom. To that end, the choices made in the FY2021 budget support the Public Schools of Brookline’s five core values. The district’s work in support of these core values is guided by the three-year goals put forth during the development of the FY2019-2021 override budget. These goals focus on maintaining the quality of education, programs and services in the face of historic and ongoing enrollment growth; and on maintaining small class sizes and the resources needed to fund new student support positions in guidance, nursing and English Learner instructors in order to lower student/educator ratios. These goals also continue the work on critical priorities, including educational equity, restorative practices, professional development, and curricula review and renewal.
Since Town voters approved the three-year operating override in May 2018, both the revenue and expense outlooks have changed significantly. These changes have resulted in three unanticipated fiscal challenges that affect the budget in the following ways:
1. Significant changes downward in the Town’s growth estimates of new revenue, along with an increase to the school department’s charge for pension
liability and increased expenses charged to other Town departments, are currently resulting in a net revenue loss to the PSB of $327,472 in FY20 and
$525,467 in FY21 from the original override projections.
2. Revenue Offsets from revolving funds and other sources including transfers, are no longer considered, resulting in a net revenue loss of $406,744 in
FY20 and $287,251 in FY21.
3. Unanticipated increases in mandated expenses, mainly a 29% increase in FY20 out-of-district tuition expenses, and a 10% increase are projected for FY21.
4. Newly identified and yet to be determined funding are adding additional pressure to the School Committee Budget. These are
a. anticipated grant deficits due to level funding of grants while the costs of salaries, services, and supplies continue to rise;
b. Mandatory spending tied to the new Student Opportunity Act funds ($244,440) as it comes through Chapter 70, of which the School Committee
Budget only received half of this under the 50/50 split of the Town School Partnership formula;
c. Additional Public Building requests for up to 4 HVAC technicians and over $400,000 to increase general repair and maintenance of the
buildings above what the Town has already funded as part of the Town/School Partnership allocation.
All of the above combined, results in a preliminary deficit of $1,086,456 that impacts the FY21 budget. In the face of these challenges, the FY21 budget request focuses on three primary areas, all designed to maintain the commitment to small classes, to increased staffing and improved services, and to strategic investments identified in the 2018 and prior operating overrides:
1. Maintaining staffing levels and fulfilling our contractual obligations - As with all school systems, the majority of PSB’s budget pays for teachers and other
school-based personnel. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of the FY21 budget increase funds the contractually obligated costs of maintaining our existing staff.
The base budget covers all known contractual obligations for steps and lanes and is equivalent to a 3% increase on the total prior year salary line. This
funding is within the 2018 override projection for FY2021.
2. In this presentation of the budget, a pool of funds equivalent to 2% is available for contract negotiations. Holding this pool of funds in reserve pending
the speedy resolution of our Unit A, Unit B, and paraprofessional contracts remains a priority despite the significant FY21 fiscal challenges. AFSME
Custodians, Secretaries and Food Service are settled through ___. The Paraprofessional Unit has a one-year agreement ending in August 2020. Unit A
and Unit B expired in August 2019. All union contracts have a continuation clause for all terms with the continuation of steps (3-5% change in step, 0%
change if on maximum step) while negotiations are ongoing.
3. Responding to our ongoing increases in enrollment and the complexity of student needs - Brookline’s historic enrollment growth, which has been
affecting the K-8 elementary schools since 2005, is now affecting Brookline High School. Since 2005, the district’s K-8 student population has grown by
41%, or 1599 students. During that same time, Brookline High School grew by 11%, or 203 students. Over the next five years, high school enrollment is
projected to accelerate and increase by an additional 21%, or 429 students. However, future enrollment appears to be at the peak and beginning to level
off. As such, we are looking very closely at the hiring and resource allocations given the projected operating budget deficit and our ability to sustain the
organization that has been built around a culture of growing and expanding enrollment. As such, the budget does not include funding for the planned
FY2021 commitments:
o 15.0 FTE scheduled as a part of the 2018 override to support enrollment growth
o 0.80 FTE for an additional educational leader position at Brookline High School
o Supplies and Materials budgets continue with their $570,000 FY 20 reductions to balance the FY 20 Budget
The PSB budget is maintaining commitments to the following:
o 3.0 FTEs (1 each) for guidance (K-8), nursing, and English Learner (EL) instruction
o Mandated Special Education Transportation, and continue subsidized transportation services for High School fee based transportation for South
Brookline that is inaccessible by the MBTA
o A 39% increase from FY 19 in funding for out-of-district tuition to ensure that the PSB fulfills our moral and legal obligations to provide a free and
appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to all students
o Retaining the position of Senior Director for Educational Equity
o Continue professional development funds to support district-wide professional development on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
o Continue funding, at appropriate levels, of the resources necessary to support implementation of math program review recommendations,
including funding for materials and professional development
o Continue funding the District’s Financial Assistance policy
o Coming to agreement with BEU - Paraprofessional Unit a $1.25/hour increase for our entire paraprofessional unit members to continue to
address concerns about competitive wages
This budget overview is organized into four sections designed to explain in detail the major forces affecting the FY2021 budget and provide a high-level summary of the budget focusing on major revenue and expenditure categories.
Section I Primary Drivers of the FY 2021 Budget: Our Core Values and our District-Wide Priorities
Section II FY19-FY21 Original Override Projection
Section III Summary of Expenses
Section IV Summary of FY2021 Budget Revenues