WORCESTER—On a 6-3 vote with Dianna Biancheria expressing “disappointment” and Maureen Binienda in “strong disagreement,” the Worcester School Committee approved a $485.7 million Worcester Public Schools budget for 2024-25 at its regular-session meeting on June 20.
The figure was determined amid a $22 million deficit and following extensive discussions about the merits of the cuts proposed by Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez’s administration.
Committee member Kathleen Roy joined Biancheria and Binienda in opposition to the spending plan. Vanessa Alvarez, Alex Guardiola, Jermaine Johnson, Susan B. Mailman, Molly McCullough and Mayor Joseph M. Petty all voted yes. The mayor chairs the committee.
At the close of deliberations, the mayor commended CFO Brian Allen on a job “well done” for fielding the brunt of the concerns and questions surrounding the budget points.
A familiar objection in an effort to save teaching positions raised by Biancheria and Binienda was also posed in a discussion about funds allocated for custodial services.
“Why the cut for Worcester Tech, from ten custodians to nine?” Binienda asked. Informed that this was done following an evaluation, and that Worcester Tech scholars would pick up part of this function as part of their course of study, Binienda said “in the past this has been a union job.” But Allen noted that the practice of utilizing students for this purpose “has been done” before.
In noting that Worcester Tech is “our busiest school,” day and night, Biancheria said providing more custodial for the new Doherty High, and for South High, “is not advantageous to Worcester Tech.”
Binienda and Petty then clashed after Binienda said high school principals are upset that money from rentals of their buildings is going to other accounts. “You can’t run high schools without access to that money,” she said, in initialing making a motion to “not take money away from high schools except to pay custodians” and related costs.
Monárrez responded that, “We are looking to share this money and saying to the high schools, ‘Can you help other schools in the district?’”
A heated exchange ensued between Petty and Binienda when she initially perceived the line item as adding a position.
“We are not adding a position,” Allen insisted.
Petty, sounding frustrated, said, “We are saving the job!” Petty then proposed a vote on Binienda’s motion, “yes to cut, no not to cut.” She withdrew the motion after asking instead “how can we have the high schools not lose the money” and after Jermaine Johnson said “this is just for this year,” not next.
Biancheria weighed in on the subject of literacy tutors, MCAS tutors and English Language Learning tutors being eliminated.
“These are people who helped our kids, now at zero, which I find very disappointing,” she said. But Mailman objected to the suggestion that these services would not continue to be provided, by “pocket” instructors, for instance.
“The model was not working,” the superintendent explained. “We are looking at a high-dosage tutoring company” to perform this task, going forward. “We want to work toward this with added funds from the city,” if they are forthcoming, she said. “We will find other ways to make this work.”
Roy asked how much outsourced tutoring would cost and was told “up to $200,000.”
Monárrez also noted that “we have had MCAS tutors but couldn’t fill those positions.”
“We are losing three categories that helped our kids,” Biancheria said, in summing up her objection.
The Worcester School Committee’s next meeting in July will begin the evaluation process for the superintendent.
Rod Lee is a career journalist, a veteran of the media scene in Central Massachusetts and the author of seven books including the recently published “Gil Cristopher,” a novel about the difficulties associated with aging. He can be contacted at rodlee1963@gmail.com
