FY 25 Budget Update

 

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Last evening, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Michael Connelly, presented the preliminary budget for FY25. Similar to prior years we presented a modified level service budget, which includes all of the positions and spending that would provide the same level of services for students that we provided this year. In addition there are some new positions and initiatives that are included in the modified level services budget that are a part of our strategic plan, including our goal of eliminating the tuition associated with full day Kindergarten.

As Mr. Connelly states, "The fiscal year 2025 recommended budget for the school department is currently $40,679,524. This represents a 9% or $3,359,929 increase over fiscal year 2024 and is currently significantly greater than what the Town has available to fund both school and town budgets for fiscal year 2025. The budget gap to achieve the Superintendent’s proposed recommended budget presented on March 11 is $1,907,396. The budget gap to achieve a level services school budget is currently $1,200,507."

As described in his letter, which will also be published in this week's North Reading Transcript, we will be preparing both a budget that reconciles this gap and also one that includes an operating override and allows for the funding of our modified level services budget. It is important to note that although specific positions are listed in the budget documents for various purposes there have been no decisions made about specific cuts to programs or positions at this time. Over the next several weeks during the budget workshops and public hearing we will continue to discuss the cuts that need to be made to close the budget gaps and also communicate the importance of the positions and initiatives that are included in our modified level services budget.

If you have any questions about this process feel free to reach out to me via email at any time pdaly@nrpsk12.org.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

Student Opportunity Act: Feedback Sought

 Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, and Educators,

This spring the district will be creating a new three year Student Opportunity Act plan. As a part of this process we are hoping to engage all stakeholders and seek feedback to inform our plan. 

From the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education:

The Student Opportunity Act (Chapter 132 of the Acts of 2019) ushered in a new phase in the Commonwealth's commitment to ensuring that every student in the state experiences high-quality learning opportunities that lead to success in school and in postsecondary success.

Overall, Massachusetts leads the nation on many measures of student learning experiences, student achievement, and postsecondary success for its students. However, a closer look reveals inequitable gaps in experiences and outcomes across racial and ethnic groups, in economically disadvantaged communities compared to higher income communities, for students with disabilities relative to their non-disabled peers, and for English learners compared to students whose first language is English.

In order to provide us with feedback, please begin by reviewing the following:

• Our District's Strategic Plan NRPS 2025
• The Current Student Opportunity Act Plan for North Reading
• This tool for analyzing Student Outcomes

We then invite all parents, guardians, caregivers, and educators to complete this feedback survey no later than Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

During this collection window there will be two opportunities for a virtual overview on the Student Opportunity Act and the process for collecting feedback: 

Morning: Monday, March 11, 2024 (jointly with Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council)

Evening:  Monday, March 18, 2024 6:30 p.m. 

We thank you in advance for your support of our schools and the time to take our survey and provide us with your feedback, insights, and recommendations.

Sincerely yours, 

Dr. Daly