Budget Clarification

May 27, 2020

Dear Malden Public School Community,

I want to take a moment to clarify some information that was presented to the Budget Subcommittee last night.

In anticipation of major cuts at both the state and federal level, we are working on what we believe will be the best-case scenario which is a level-funded budget ($74,200,150) for the upcoming school year. This means we are working with $2,000,000 less than what is needed to
operate. Knowing that, our first and foremost priority has been to preserve the integrity of the classroom which includes funding the Early Learning Center (ELC).

In order to make up the gap we have proposed not filling open positions while also making some cuts to non-direct classroom staff. However, in the event we need to cut 5 or 10 percent beyond the level-funded budget, the closure or modification of services to the ELC as well as all
items in the school budget would need to be looked at by the School Committee.

It should also be noted that the discussion around a one-year hiatus for the ELC was due to the safety of our students and staff. We must be cognizant of the potential re-entry of our most vulnerable students in the age of COVID-19 and Kawasaki Syndrome while also thinking about the CDC guidelines and safety precautions in that building in particular.

This year’s budget is also compounded by the number of unknowns and uncertainties that we are faced with including whether we will return to school in person or remotely or whether our return will be a hybrid of remote and in-person. These questions and their potential answers
further add to the budget complexity.

Regardless of how we end up, please know that we are committed to serving the students and families of Malden to the best of our capabilities with the service and support they deserve. Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Sincerely,
John Oteri
Superintendent