Interesting night
The Manchester Board of School Committee met last night and there were some interesting moments. The board approved a three year contract deal with the Association of Manchester Principals, retro-active to July first of last year. If the contract gains final approval from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the principals will get a pay raise equal to the increase allowed by the city’s tax cap. The raise will be retroactive to October first. Subsequent year’s raises will also be tied to the cap, though Negotiations Committee Chairman John Avard admitted, in response to questions asked by at-Large member Rich Girard, that even if spending doesn’t increase under the cap, the pay raises will granted. Girard was the lone vote against the deal, saying when one is in a hole, they should stop digging.
Avard: Raises no matter what
The financial impact statement accompanying the deal showed a savings in the current year because the pay raise will be granted later than expected. Costs in year two and three included projections of the number of retirements or resignations that would be replaced with personnel hired at a lower rate under the contract. Girard argued that the only money actually saved in the contract was the forty one thousand dollars that came with eliminating the requirement that the district pay for the principals’ dues to their state association, an amount more than offset by a one time raise of one hundred bucks for each year a principal had been in the system. In reality, the contract will cost the district over forty five thousand five hundred dollars in the current fiscal year, nearly one hundred ten thousand dollars in the coming fiscal year, the one that already has a projected six million dollar shortfall, and nearly ninety seven thousand dollars in the following fiscal year, subject, of course, to any savings that may be found from turnover in staff.
Mayor Ted Gatsas abstained on the vote. The contract now goes to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final approval.
Beaudry: Enrollment decline hurting students, taxpayers
The board also heard a presentation on enrollment decline and potential savings involving the city’s high schools from Vice-Chairman Arthur Beaudry. Beaudry said he brought forward the numbers because of all the talk around town following the appearance of Ward Six Alderman Nick Pappas as a guest host on this radio show. Pappas said Central High should be closed, arguing enrollments don’t support three high schools. Beaudry said he wanted the information out there for the public to consider before the superintendent began his forums on the budget, which will be held tonight at Parkside and tomorrow night at Memorial starting at six.
Want: Chastises Beaudry
Beaudry estimated that closing Central could save seven million dollars in staffing and building costs and avoid several million dollars in repairs and improvements needed to the buildings on campus. He also argued that having two bigger high schools would provide greater academic, athletic and extracurricular opportunities for students. Though he said it would have to be phased in over time, Beaudry cited the layoffs that took place in two thousand twelve as a reason why the board might have to consider consolidating school facilities to avoid another round of massive layoffs. He also suggested the board send a letter to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen asking if they planned to fully fund the district’s budgetary needs, including the looming shortfall, so that it didn’t have to consider shuttering a school, since they sent a letter saying they opposed closing any high school.
Ward Four Committee Member Leslie Want chastised Beaudry for interjecting the topic into the budget discussion. She unsuccessfully tried to shut the conversation down until after budget decisions were made, though not before saying that the School of Technology would be a better school to close because it had the highest per pupil cost.
Girard: Appeals for calm
At-Large Member Rich Girard said one of the primary reasons he pushed for the two thousand seven redistricting plan was specifically to head off discussions over the need to close a high school, which had been percolating behind the scenes. He urged calm in the discussion, which he said should continue, given the district’s deteriorating budget situation and how enrollment declines have caused the schools to struggle. Said Girard:
It’s not the buildings that are important. It’s the people in them and what they do.
Gatsas: Stifles debate
The board also received and filed a request made by Beaudry on behalf of the members of the Superintendent Search Committee to investigate Ward Twelve board member Constance Van Houten for potential violations of board policy, state law and the city charter for releasing confidential information on assumed candidates for the superintendent’s position. Outside of Beaudry’s initial comments, there was little discussion as an agitated Mayor Gatsas cut debate off, refusing to let board members speak on the subject.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Year end numbers are big
The Manchester Fire Department released the year end statistics for the Safe Station program. Nine hundred seventy six visits were made by seven hundred forty seven people to a Manchester fire station from May fourth, when the program began, to the end of the year. Of them, three hundred forty two, or forty six percent, were Manchester residents. The rest came from nearly one hundred communities across the state as well as communities from five other states, including Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Alabama and Arizona. All comers were either brought to the hospital for medical treatment or to Hope for N H Recovery or Serenity Place to begin treatment and recovery programs.
Hickey: Releases year end stats
The department also released the final stats for suspected overdoes for the year. According to E M S Coordinator Christopher Hickey, Manchester Fire responded to seven hundred eighty five suspected overdoses last year. Ninety included fatalities. In two thousand fifteen, there were seven hundred twenty nine suspected overdoses and eighty two fatalities. Despite the increase in calls and fatalities, Hickey has said in past statements that the trend lines and general situation have improved since the advent of Safe Station. We’ll upload the final docs with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: After publication, Hickey sent a revised report on Safe Station, correcting some minor errors..
That’s NEWS from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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