tracynovick

tracynovick t1_jd5o9mr wrote

Reply to comment by WorcesterMom in Shortfall projected in Worcester Public Schools budget for upcoming year by HRJafael

As WPS budget watchers will know, we've illustrated for years how incredibly underfunded our central administration is. For the current year's budget, you can find it here: https://worcesterschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/FY23-Recommended-Budget-Worcester-Public-Schools.pdf#page=402

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I'd also note that we have long since committed to a policy that no more than 1.5% of the district foundation budget will be spent on administration; it's written straight into our district policy.

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tracynovick t1_jcy6q2s wrote

Reply to Shortfall projected in Worcester Public Schools budget for upcoming year by HRJafael

I've shared the preliminary budget presentation in my Dropbox here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w1brrf43kj6kehz/FY24%20Preliminary%20Budget%20Estimates%20March%2016%2C%202023.pdf?dl=0

(it's also in the agenda, but I know people can find that unwieldy to deal with)

In addition to the points made by u/teddygrahamdispenser, it's also due to deliberate decisions by the School Committee to:

  1. hold staffing harmless from the enrollment drop two years ago due to COVID and remote learning. Our elementary enrollment took a dive; we usually would have laid off teachers and did not. We used federal pandemic aid to retain staff (an entirely supported use). That now needs to be folded back into the regular budget; we can cover it, but it's part of what's "already spent."
  2. Similarly, we've been "preloading" some of our expected state funding increases due to the Student Opportunity Act; you can see this illustrated on page 28 of the presentation. Thus we have had those staff a year ahead of when state funding would have supported them.

Slides 24 and 25 then show how that shakes out over our budget increase (which is both significant and largely state funded).

I'm always glad to take questions on budget stuff.

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tracynovick t1_j6dspiz wrote

Reply to comment by yennijb in WooSox unveil new amenities and improvements at Polar Park ahead of third season by HRJafael

We just have to count on WBJ for that: https://www.wbjournal.com/article/woosox-to-temporarily-take-over-space-originally-slated-for-delayed-bioscience-facility

"The Left Field Building was originally slated to open in 2023, as part of a five-building development from Madison Properties. The property tax collections from those buildings are one of the main sources of revenue the City of Worcester plans to use to pay off the 30-year debt on the $160-million public stadium, in order for the ballpark to pay for itself and not use general taxpayer-funded sources of revenue. However, as those developments have been delayed, the revenue collections from the district surrounding the ballpark have been underperforming, and the City sold off a piece of public property near the stadium to cover the debt payments."

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tracynovick t1_j4ijxxi wrote

Reply to Construction south of I-290, mile marker 18 by stevenc88

Worcester Business Journal has info here: https://www.wbjournal.com/article/demolished-mount-carmel-church-site-slated-for-five-story-apartment-complex

"The new complex -- called Alta Seven Hills -- will include 371 residential units, a 502-space parking garage, and 21-space parking lot on 5.3 acres on Mulberry Street, which is visible from I-290 near Shrewsbury Street and Saint Vincent Hospital."

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tracynovick t1_iysh2ox wrote

Reply to Meeting place near pike? by TodaysLucky10K

I've done the Grafton St. McDonald's for this before. The easternmost of the three "Worcester" exits is actually closest to a city line.

Otherwise, consider meeting in Auburn at the Dunkin' on Southbridge Street?

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tracynovick t1_iwuhbsl wrote

Reply to Best places to get work done? by [deleted]

To what's here, I'll add the Fuel America downtown, Brew on the Grid downtown, iKrave Cafe on Park Ave, Root and Press in Tatnuck Square, and inHouse Coffee on Shrewsbury Street.

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tracynovick t1_itxpztt wrote

Reply to WPS: Silent on Elementary Student Safety. by 7NerdAlert7

I think we've already exchanged messages about this (hi, member of the school committee here), but just to say it here as well: I know the families have now received a message from the school. The police did let the school know that there was no threat to the school (as noted elsewhere, it happened the night before).
District and PD communication is part of what is being discussed with the MOU that is being sorted out between the two, and I asked that the superintendent flag this as an example.
(sorry not to have jumped on this yesterday; I don't always remember to check reddit daily)

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tracynovick t1_is82xr4 wrote

Reply to How good of a place is Holden MA for Asian Americans? by [deleted]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm on the Worcester School Committee, so I am not going to pretend to be unbiased.
It may be useful for your cousin to know (as you're discovering) that Massachusetts school districts are much, much smaller than California districts and much, much more segregated by district than California districts. Our suburbs tend to be much whiter; much of our diversity (not all of it, but much of it) is in our cities.
Because of the relative size, there are programs for students (autism or otherwise) in some of the cities that smaller districts don't have the capacity to run. That is not universal, but note that many smaller districts will send students with special needs (depending on the level of need) to schools that are not district-run schools.
Worcester Public Schools does run a comprehensive program for our students who have autism. I have not experienced that as a parent; I do know of parents who speak of it highly.
If your cousin is intending to choose where to live based on the ability of the public school system to serve his son, I would strongly urge him to get in touch with families of students with similar needs within that district.

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