Tough Times Encourage Parents to Fight for School Funding

Two Groups Emerge to Lead Charge in Medford

– Allison Goldsberry

Decreases in local aid, rising fuel and healthcare costs, and now, a sinking economy, have made it increasingly difficult for Medford and other communities to cover the costs of the public school system.

For the seventh consecutive year Medford has received less state aid than it did in 2002, actually receiving $814,236 less this year according to School Superintendent Roy Belson.  During last year’s school budget hearing, Superintendent Belson said Medford needed $3.4 million to create a budget that would provide the same level of services as the previous fiscal year, a seemingly impossible task given that costs rise each year.

Starting off the fiscal year 2009 budget $3.4 million in the hole made school budget cuts unavoidable, and last year’s budget hearing was a painful one not only for school and city officials but for parents as well.

This summer, several parents banded together to form the group Advocating 4 Medford Public Schools with the goal of ensuring adequate funding and continuous improvement of the citywide school system.

In addition, last week the group voted to form a Medford chapter of “Stand for Children,” a group dedicated to promoting children’s needs among policymakers.

Ann Marie Cugno, a parent with three children in Medford schools and a School Committee member, has been involved with the group for several years. Each year she has led a group of Medford residents into the State House as part of a Stand for Children rally to get more funding for the public schools.

Matt Haberstroh, parent of a Brooks School student, said he joined the groups because he was very concerned about cuts made to the school budget this year.

“As a parent I got involved with Advocating 4 Medford Public Schools and now Stand For Children because I was shocked at the budget turmoil at the end of last year when I attended a School Committee Budget meeting in June. I felt the School Committee, as well the mayor could use more parental involvement and guidance, particularly towards the priorities in the budget items that seemed to be assumed as essential,” said Haberstroh.

Superintendent Belson said this year’s budget was one of the most difficult he has ever faced, and a number of cuts were made, including teacher and staff layoffs, a cut in the Medford High School security force, the consolidation of several departments, and the elimination of one school bus.

Medford is one of eight communities that is receiving less state aid than it did in 2002, and according to Belson’s calculations, it is second only to Somerville in the drop in aid it has experienced. The other communities experiencing a squeeze due to a new state funding formula include Beverly, Falmouth, Gloucester, Newburyport, Saugus, and Wakefield. What is happening in Medford and these other communities is that the state is scaling back its share of the school budget from 37.5% to 17.5%.

That reality has motivated parents to come together to not only help school and city officials get more funding for the schools but also to make sure parents’ voices are heard when priorities need to be set in tough fiscal times.

“These organizations are important because they’ll help us turn up the volume of our collective voices for our collective concerns. Our concerns and priorities over education change over time – there are many new parents new to Medford, there are also new parents who are from Medford who may have perspectives and view educational priorities differently; it is important that our elected officials realize that, and act accordingly,” said Haberstroh.

Parents can get involved by joining Advocating 4 Medford Public School’s Yahoo email group.

More…

Schools Face Tough Budget for 2009

What Medford Spends on its Schools

A Look at Medford’s 2009 City Budget