Education cuts will delay new programs

By Jessica Collier and Jeff Elliott Bulletin Contributing Writers

Published on December 05, 2008

BOSTON - Gov. Deval Patrick's budget cuts to the Department of Education have stunted long-range ambitions for the state's education system. But the various budgets will remain at the same level as last year, with the 4 percent in cuts largely eliminating new programs that have yet to start.

Among those programs:

* A $400,000 low class size grant program for kindergarten through third grade was eliminated before money was dispersed.

* A community college nursing initiative that was supposed to grow by $1 million was cut by $600,000.

* Long delayed spending in the UMass system has been put off. Funding is decreasing by 0.3 percent below last year, with cuts coming largely from operating expenses.

The entire Office of Education lost $98 million out of a $6.2 billion budget. That represents a 4 to 5 percent cut average for all areas excluding the untouched $3.95 billion local school aid.

Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Education, said the education cuts were relatively mild.

"It's safe to say we fared very well in the process," he said. "Overall cuts of 5 percent presented the best case scenario."

Public higher education was cut by over $53 million; each state college and university will also see individual budgets trimmed by around 5 percent.

Each of the state institutions is finding ways to trim that without directly affecting students. College and university officials have pledged not to recover the cuts through increases in student fees or cuts in financial aid this year.

Most schools are using hiring freezes and operational restrictions, such as banning overtime and restricting travel to hit the 5 percent mandate. But UMass-Lowell Chancellor Martin Meehan expects to lay off at least 50 university employees. The UMass system president's office fired 18 people last month.

Only one financial aid plan, the McNair Financial Assistance Program for disadvantaged and disabled students, was cut $1.6 million or 81 percent. But the cuts will be covered by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, or MEFA, one of several quasi-public agencies asked to help reduce the impact of the cuts.

Patrick's budget cuts to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reduced its $616 million budget by $30 million, nearly 5 percent excluding local aid.

Twenty-two of the department's 29 programs that were affected saw cuts in subsidies and grants.

Some involved little pain. A $596 million teacher quality investment program had a $440 million surplus because it had planned to award bonuses to more teachers, according to Palumbo. That surplus accounted for the fourth-highest percentage reduction in the department.

The largest total cut was $13.5 million from $230 million special education reimbursement. However, that original fiscal 2009 budget had been $16.6 million more than what was spent last year.

Palumbo said most of the elementary and secondary education cuts were to new programs or expansions to existing programs.

Palumbo also said many open administrative positions have been frozen and personnel cuts will also likely come from administrative staffs.

The fledgling Department of Early Education and Care was cut 2.4 percent overall, down $14 million from $585 million. However, De-Leatra Bolton, of the Malden Everett Family Network, a community organization for parents of young children, said the network was hit with a 20 percent cut that resulted in the elimination of one of two staff members.

The cuts also call into question the future of the Readiness Project, Patrick's bold initiative to modernize the state education system. Although it was still in the planning stage, both Patrick and Education Secretary Paul Reville have acknowledged that the project's progress will likely be slowed by the troubled economy.

The prospects for the next state budget are bleaker. Higher education is planning cuts estimated between 8 and 10 percent. Sharon Scott-Chandler, chairperson of the early education board, said the board also planned on 8 percent in funding cuts in fiscal 2010.

"None of this is easy," Scott-Chandler said in a meeting. "We have, also, some rough times ahead of us."

Jessica Collier and Jeff Elliott report for the Boston University Statehouse Program.