The Watertown School Department will get a bigger increase than other departments in Fiscal 2014.
[Updated May 22, 10:35 a.m.] Despite a push from school officials for more money, Watertown Town Manager Michael Driscoll said his budget is generous to the Watertown Public Schools. The education appropriation will go up $1.34 million from the current school year, Driscoll said, a 3.92 percent increase. That represents a bigger jump than other departments. "Town departments are going up 2.41 percent," Driscoll said. At the beginning of May, School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer said that she hoped that the schools would get more funds, especially considering that the state funding for special education will likely be higher that first expected. She noted that the school budget was reduced by the amount that they would have gained …
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Revenues should be up, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said, but expenses will be growing faster.
With the cost of pensions, insurance rising and state funds dropping, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said the town faces a deficit of nearly $750,000 in his preliminary Fiscal 2014 budget. Revenues, totalling $106.15 million, will actually grow about $3.6 million from the current fiscal year, 2013, but the expenses will grow faster - by $4.3 million - to $106.88 million, Driscoll told the Town Council Tuesday night. Local taxes are expected to grow $3.2 million, or 4.1 percent, to $80.5 million, Driscoll said. State Aid, however, will drop by $367,850 - a 3.7 percent decrease - to $9.7 million. The cost of pensions will rise about $1.2 million, up to $10.7 million. This includes $1.25 million put aside to pay off a debt in the pension. …
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Town of Watertown Town Hall
149 Main St, Watertown, MA
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WaterInfo
9:35 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The issue of raises and pensions is not just a school concern going forward. That said, one must remember that teachers(town employees) are not in the private sector and thus do not get the same compensation(or bonus). I also remember that many of the groups(teachers, fire personnel, police and others..including the town manager for a year(that I know of)) did not get raises in some of the years … more ›