Shutesbury Board of Selectmen 
February 6, 2010 Meeting Minutes

Members present: Chairwoman Elaine Puleo and Al Springer. 
School Committee:  Chairman DeChiara, and Daniel Hayes
Finance Committee:  Chairman Patrick Callahan and members William “Bill” Wells and Lori Tuominen.
Also present:  Town Administrator Rebecca “Becky” Torres and Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge, recording.                                          Meeting opened at 8:30 A.M.

Topics
1. Town Administrator Rebecca Torres distributed a proposed expenses and projected revenues report for FY 11 with the following assumptions and comments:  
* The regional budget line includes $28,000 more than the current assessment.    
* Adjusted 1.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for all employees 
* The Quinn Bill line is funded only at the town’s 50% ; the same that is for this year, FY 10. 
* Revenues are $49,00o more than expenses without addressing $100,000 in capital requests, using conservative revenue projections (-10% Chapter 70, -20% lottery.)
* Historic overview of the regional school budget, going back 5 years:  
a. Level-funded since 06 and 07.
b. $1.4 million will be below what we had as an assessment in 06.   
c. We haven’t had to accommodate for any growth in the regional school budget in years.  
d. Leverett is growing, we’re still shrinking.  
School Committee Chairman Michael DeChiara: Enrollment in elementary school is still shrinking.  The 5th grade is tiny.  The 6th grade is larger than average.  The 4th is average. 

School Committee Chairman Michael DeChiara reported:  
* Amherst Pelham Regional Schools Superintendent Dr. Alberto Rodriguez cut $700 to $900,000.  Shutesbury’s Regional School Committee representative Kristin Luschen (who was not present today) had indicated to Michael that she felt the cuts “could be lived with.”
Town Administrator Torres:  
* Could Pelham and Leverett support a 5% increase for Amherst?  
* The range for Shutesbury is 3.5% to 5%.  

Selectman Al Springer reported that Greenfield High School got a top-ranking in a nation-wide U.S. News & World Reports survey.  A number of Massachusetts charter schools also received high marks.  
      Becky; Amherst used to be a top ranked school.  
      Select Board Chairman Elaine Puleo and Finance Committee Chairman Patrick Callahan:  
* Both challenged the U.S. News & World Reports interpretations. 
* Patrick:  “People like rankings but you can pull them apart pretty easily.”  
      Becky:  The point is, we have to stop the (Amherst’s) downward slide.  

Michael:  Brought up his concerns about the proposed local Charter Discovery School:  
* The public elementary school looses $13,000 in Chapter 70 aid for each child.  
* This challenge becomes greater with the expansion of charter schools. 

Shutesbury School Committee member Daniel Hayes:  We’re just going to have to figure out how to cut the pie into smaller pieces.  

All present seemed to agree that public schools shouldn’t have to be competing with charter schools in the first place.
Select Board Chairwoman Elaine Puleo:  Still values creating a public option magnet school for 7th and 8th grades that does not send the students out of town.  
* It would have to be a very different looking school with a lot of energy.    
* Streamlining and efficiencies could be done.  
* A magnet school would fit within the frameworks.  

Finance Committee Chairman Patrick Callahan:  One change in local aid could throw everything off.  

Select Board Chairwoman Elaine Puleo:  Praised Amherst, for going ahead with an override.  

The group adjourned to the 4-town meeting at 9 AM.

Respectfully submitted,


Leslie Bracebridge
Administrative Secretary


100206 Select Board, Finance and School 1