Throughout the past two months, rumors have circulated around the school district regarding recent budget changes, and students at York High School speculate that certain staff members may be let go as a result. School Board Chairwoman Julie Kelbert readily agreed to address these rumors and disclose the inner workings of the budget process on February 28, 2025.
According to Kelbert, school budgetary decisions must account for federal, state, and municipal regulations; as such, they are exceedingly more multilayered than typical institutionalized financing. This means that existing plans are continuously revised according to new circumstances via an adaptive method, which is as follows:
Typically, the School Committee meets during the month of October and drafts a budget for the following year in accordance with town standards, to be submitted in later months for review. This year, the plan was presented to the Budget Committee between December 2024 and February 2025. However, the board encountered changes in the process, which initially resulted in an expense reduction by $1.4 million dollars.
Kelbert states that this occurred because the board was informed that some funding for Special Education services and facilities was no longer as necessary. Foreseeably, this meant several teacher retirements and transfers. She stresses that the committee has no intention of dismissing any faculty member; rather, the roles left by teachers after departure are assessed on a case-by-base basis, taking into account considerations such as teacher contract, certifications, and the preferences of the individual in question.
The board used a similar approach In the context of Mr. Bennett, who left the High School a few months prior. After former Village Elementary School principal Ms. Hutchins left her position in search of another, Mr. Bennett was instituted as administrator in her place, leaving Dr. Suttie as the lone principal of YHS without creating a staffing deficit. The overall budget was thus reduced by Ms. Hutchin’s salary, and it ultimately proved advantageous. Similar readjustments were made after the initial budget was proposed, where the positions of several retirees were replaced with existing employees instead of rehired, and the budget was retrofitted accordingly. Although firings can happen, Kelbert explains that “[this] is rare and certainly a situation we work to avoid.”
Mr. Rosenberg provided commentary on this matter. He was glad that Kelbert was able to dispel the rumors, and he thinks positively about the democratic process between the budget and matters of school faculty. Mr. Rosenberg agrees that “[within] the whole district, we have an excellent staff, and it’s really hard to find staff as good as the people we have here.” After all, he states, the process of amassing a great faculty takes years.
Most citizens of York did not hear or read about the objective side of the budget story, and this was especially true because of the frustration surrounding the implications for taxpayer dollars. According to Kelbert, the aforementioned rumors came about when knowledge of the budget changes was misconstrued by Seacoast Online news coverage. The reports cited the opinions of two selectboard members (current and former), completely omitting any testimony from supporters of the new budget who participated in the budget meeting. Kelbert explains, “The Budget Committee was very aware of the budget as a process, not a final number, but the reporter highlighted one negative side of the story.”
This bias concealed the fact that the budget was received very favorably among most of the community. In fact, the Budget Committee eventually voted in favor of the finalized budget with a 7-0 majority and enthusiastic support on February 27, without decreasing expenditures in any form. This unanimous decision was extremely successful given that the Committee has made reductions in numerous cycles past.
In summary, Kelbert reasserts that the School and Budget Committee values absolute transparency, treating the budget as a continuous process rather than a concrete number. She believes the community has a tendency to believe that the budget cuts were directly prompted by a few criticisms and that this is irrational. The School Committee works greatly to construct a well thought-out budget that anticipates the needs of all parties involved, including students, staff, and the community, considering all concerns that arise throughout the process in an objective manner.
Kelbert says: “I think we did a great job giving the voters of York what they deserve in a public process: Transparency, accuracy, and factual answers to any questions. The process worked as it should, and we reached the best outcome of full support by both committees for the school budget.”
