Rockland Schools Grapple with Budget Woes Despite $192K Boost
Superintendent highlights rising transportation costs and aging infrastructure as key challenges; Select Board debates debt exclusion vote for vocational school project
ROCKLAND, MA - October 1 - Rockland's school department is facing ongoing financial challenges despite receiving an additional $192,621 in funding, Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron reported to the Select Board on Tuesday.
The increased funding will be used to decrease the district's reliance on one-time money and revolving funds rather than adding new programs or services.
"We're not adding anything back in. We're just decreasing the amount of money that we're using from one-time money," Cron explained.
The school committee approved a salary budget of $26,591,858, which includes all layoffs and staff changes made due to budget reductions last year. Cron noted that with the first payroll complete, these numbers are now "pretty solid."
While some costs have decreased, such as specialized transportation, others continue to strain the budget. The middle school and high school complex, now in its 11th year, is beginning to require maintenance and replacements.
Assistant Superintendent for Administration, Finance and Personnel Jane Hackett highlighted that unemployment costs from recent staff reductions are included in the current budget. She also noted that the substitute teacher line item remains a concern.
"The fewer bodies we have in the building, when there is someone who's absent, we actually do have to bring in a sub because we don't have extra paras, et cetera, that we can redirect or reassign to cover," Hackett said.
Over the past two years, the district's salary costs have increased by 2.5%, or $650,324. However, specialized out-of-district tuition and transportation costs have risen by $2.2 million in the same period, putting significant pressure on the budget.
Despite these challenges, Cron emphasized the positive start to the school year. "The morale is incredible. We toured the high school today. It's a very, very, very special place," he said.
The Superintendent invited board members to visit the schools, particularly highlighting the Early Childhood Center at Esten. "They're so little. They're three, four, and five. And so you see all these little people walking around and all these adults, and it's the cutest thing," Cronsaid.
In other business, the Select Board discussed the potential impact of South Shore Regional Vocational Technical School's proposed building project. Town Administrator Doug Lapp presented the board with a decision on whether to hold a debt exclusion vote alongside the school's special election in January.
Lapp explained that the South Shore Tech project could cost Rockland approximately $39 million, comparable to the recently failed fire station project. He recommended holding a debt exclusion vote on Jan. 25, concurrent with the South Shore Tech election, to ensure voters understand the financial implications.
"My fear is if we don't do this, someone's going to come and say, 'Oh, yeah, absolutely, I'd love to have a new tech school, great, yes.' And then a year later or later we say, 'You voted yes, so now you have to raise your taxes,'" Lapp said.
Board members expressed concerns about the timing and potential confusion for voters. Select Board member John Ellard worried that combining the votes might lead to unintended consequences.
"I'm thinking most of the other towns are kind of taking the wait and see. I'm definitely in the camp of let's wait and see, see if it even becomes necessary," Ellard said.
The board ultimately decided to table the decision until their first meeting in November to allow for further research and consideration.
Select Board Chair Tiffanie Needham emphasized the importance of educating voters on the potential impact. "Either way, it's going to take an educational campaign anyways, because this is new turf for so many. But it could be cataclysmic if that wasn't approved and the school does move forward," she said.