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Tonight’s hearing on the city budget was a grueling affair, but for decisions on layoffs and school cuts, voters will have to stay tuned tomorrow night (same time, same place). No doubt the city’s in tough fiscal shape and there’s not a lot of money, especially since the council is loathe to raise taxes more than the 2.5% in the manager’s budget—despite cost increases that impact every service. Tonight, the council determined it did not have the stomach to actually layoff 11 city employees as the manager proposed, although the 11 municipal positions cut through attrition are gone. The council also decided to delay its vote regarding the manager’s plan to cut $1.6 million, or nearly 8 percent, from its contribution to the schools—a cut that would undoubtedly require school layoffs. Instead, councilors directed the city manager to meet with the superintendent and develop a compromise—the number $800K was mentioned, which might appear fair except when you consider two facts: First, the Mass. Dept. of Revenue in an April 2007 document reports the city has not met its fiscal contribution to the schools for 11 consecutive years, and the carryover requires an additional $3 million in local aid—never mind cuts. And second, an $800K cut reduces the city’s contribution to its schools by 3.8%: I don’t think any city department is taking that percentage of cuts. To be fair, the city’s contribution to its schools should be cut the same percentage as other city departments (more on that tomorrow). 

Also tonight, for the first time at a council meeting, more than 25 local members of Stand for Children, the citizen group gaining momentum statewide and in Lowell, showed up in support of more »

Attend the City Council meeting tonight, 5 p.m. at City Hall, and stand with us in silent support or better yet, take the opportunity to state your thoughts (in five minutes or less) about the manager’s proposal to cut $1.6 million from the schools. I will be there, along with other advocates for good schools, to make our case why the Council should not cut so deeply (nearly eight percent of the city’s $21 million contribution to its schools). Note: the city gave $22.5 million to the police budget last year and is proposing $22 million for police this year. The city’s contribution to the fire department actually went up about 100K from last year’s budget, and yet the manager proposes the city cut $1.6 million from the schools, which would bring the city’s funding for education well below $20 million. We haven’t seen the city contribute less than $20 million to educate its children since 2005. Cuts that deep will have a negative impact on the quality of education our children receive, as well as the district’s ability to continue to make progress on initiatives around class size, interventions, and student support services.