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As the Mill City braces to cut $3 million in response to Governor Patrick’s recent reductions in state aid (difficult under any circumstances but especially tough mid-year), Lowell looks to the schools to bear a portion of the burden. The city manager’s plan for the school district’s share of the cuts is based on a 20% ratio: Lowell contributes about 20% of its non-school revenue to its schools, so a 20% cut in that revenue ($604,000 out of $3 million) is what the schools are being asked to cut from their current budget. Keep in mind, this equation does not address Chapter 70 funding, which is state money earmarked for education. In Lowell, Chapter 70 covers about 80% of the district’s total school budget: that’s $118 million in state funding out of $139 million budget in FY09. As part of its contribution under Education Reform, the state expects municipalities to pay their share, a complex amount based on property values, income, and other factors.

As a longtime advocate for the city paying its fair share of the costs of educating our children, I’ve watched as Lowell has missed and lately begun making progress toward meeting the state’s education- spending requirement. In fact, last year, the city’s contribution was only $100,000 shy of the state’s school-spending requirement—the closest it’s been in 12 years. Prior to these mid-year cuts, Lowell was on track to exceed its school-spending requirement in FY09, but as we know, these are not easy times. To weather these difficulties, we must work together for the good of the entire community. It’s especially important that we do not pit one side against the other and work together to make sure important services to our community continue. That said, the Lowell School Committee’s Finance Sub-committee will meet on Monday, Feb. 2, to discuss how to close the $604,000 gap in the current budget.