"Whatever happened to former selectman Burt Rubenstein?" won't be a question on anyone's lips any time soon. After six years of serving on town boards, three as a school committee member and three as a selectman, Rubenstein decided not to run for re-election because the time commitment was too great. While Rubenstein passed the torch to Carol Peters as of May 9, he can be expected still to be a fixture in town affairs, albeit in an unofficial capacity.
Most of Rubenstein's unfinished business remains on the municipal land committee which he chaired. The town's decision not to pursue the housing authority's proposal for the Conant Land leaves the town vulnerable to affordable housing initiatives which may not be as favorable to the town. Because there is not a lot of other town land available for this purpose, Rubenstein sees the municipal land committee's top priority to identify potential parcels and to bring their proposals to the fall Town Meeting while the issue is still fresh in people's minds.
The budget is still a big issue, said Rubenstein. He was very glad to see the override pass at Town Meeting, with the only debate over an attempt to increase the amount of the override. Rubenstein commented that he thought it was appropriate for parent Maureen Tarca, who brought a funding increase for the schools to the floor, to stand up and force the debate. The end result indicated to Rubenstein that the town can get by with a reasonable override, which the selectmen tried hard to achieve.
The user fees proposed by the Carlisle School as part of the budget negotiations got a thumbs-up from Rubenstein. It is "totally legitimate" for a family to pay for certain services, said Rubenstein, so long as, as proposed, there is an upper limit on the amount a family will be charged and there is financial assistance for those who need it. While a large part of the community does not get a direct benefit from the school, Rubenstein was heartened that the discussion did not degenerate into an "us versus them" debate. Looking at the big picture, and with praise for his former colleagues, Rubenstein concluded, "What we're getting from an education for less than $6,000 per student is very impressive."
With respect to the process of choosing a new town administrator, Rubenstein said he was disappointed by the first few choices but is very pleased with interim administrator Madonna McKenzie. "She has the knowledge and aptitude for the job and has displayed the leadership qualities we were looking for," said Rubenstein, who is hopeful that McKenzie will work out on a long-term basis.
The financial management team set up as a reaction to last year's budget snafus is working well, observed Rubenstein. "There was a $113 correction this year in the Warrant book, but that's a big change from last year," he said. The numbers were stable six weeks before Town Meeting, so the team was able to work on concepts, not cleaning up the spreadsheets. Rubenstein attributed this success largely to individuals taking personal responsibility for the tasks and thought that selectmen Doug Stevenson and John Ballantine were to be especially commended in this regard. Rubenstein is hoping that the town administrator can take a more active role on the financial team. "The trouble with all volunteer boards," he said, "is that when family responsibilities come up, the other work drops down."
So what will Rubenstein be doing with all his free time? First, he would like to be more proactive on medical services training for the Carlisle Fire Department. Rubenstein handles all training for the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and keeps up to date with all rules and certifications. He also is working on getting all firefighters who are not EMTs to be trained up to the level of first responder. "We have a good EMT crew; I want to make sure they get even better," said Rubenstein, who also commented that one advantage of an on-call fire department is that the firefighters really want to help and take their training seriously.
Another big project Rubenstein is tackling is setting up a recording and audio system at the Carlisle Public School this summer. This project involves setting up the school music room for instant playback for use in music lessons and band practices. Students who are not involved in the band will be able to learn how to use this equipment and assist the band in this way. The project also involves setting up a system of microphones, amplifiers and mixers for the Corey Auditorium stage, which will greatly enhance acoustics for Town Meeting, the school musicals and independent performances like the Savoyard Light Opera. Rubenstein said that a portion of the funding for this project comes from the music department fundraisers, but he will also be pursuing grant money and may also get the Savoyards involved.
For at least one more year, Rubenstein will not serve on any town boards. He now has the flexibility to come to meetings voluntarily and the freedom to take positions as a private citizen. But, as Rubenstein observed, some town board members never go away, they just get recycled.
At the February 4 Carlisle School Committee (CSC) meeting the CSC announced it would be hiring an outside consultant to assist in the process of determining whether a superintendency union will be formed between the Carlisle and Concord school systems.
The meeting was held in the Clark Room at the Town Hall and recorded for later broadcast by Concord-Carlisle Community TV (CCTV). The room was packed with town residents and school staff with a lengthy public comment period, similar to one held during the previous CSC meeting (see also “CSC fields questions on superintendency union plan,” Mosquito January 30).
A superintendency union is a sharing of administrative resources and can include all personnel that report directly to the superintendent, excluding principals and teachers, except for “Special Teachers” as specified by Massachusetts General Laws. Unlike standard classroom teachers, teaching specialists may be hired to provide services between schools within the union. Typically those teachers serve part-time at the schools within the union.
The CSC said on January 21 that their choice for the superintendent of the combined districts would be Diana Rigby, who currently serves as superintendent of the Concord-Carlisle Regional High School (CCHS) and the Concord School District. Carlisle School Superintendent Marie Doyle’s contract with Carlisle expires in June, 2010. This winter she was one of four finalists vying for the position of superintendent of the Belmont School District; however she is not among the two remaining candidates under consideration.
Both the CSC and Finance Committee (FinCom) Chair David Model gave PowerPoint presentations explaining concerns about Carlisle’s educational costs. CSC Chair Chad Koski began the meeting by saying they are working “closely with the Selectmen and the FinCom” to detail the reasons why a superintendency union is being considered. CSC member Dale Ryder asked the audience to remember “that we are volunteers” as she presented the PowerPoint report.
According to the presentations, the catalysts for sharing administrative costs with Concord include the current economy, Carlisle’s flat revenue growth and a projected bump in high school enrollment. The ratio of Carlisle high school students to Concord students will rise for three years, 2011 to 2013, increasing Carlisle’s share of the high school budget, according to Model. After 2013 the enrollment bulge at the high school will end and Carlisle’s share will decrease.
FinCom has made the assumption that Chapter 70 state aid to towns will decrease by 10% next year, and then remain “flat for three years.” Model said local growth will be “anemic,” projected at around 1%.
Reached later by phone, Model said the Carlisle School administrative costs are the only town expenses that approach the magnitude of cuts that will be needed to cover the three-year increase in expenses.
Parent Paul Sellew spoke in favor of the superintendency union and agreed with developing a long-term plan “so we can make an informed decision.” He has a son in the Carlisle School and said his “expectations have been met” educationally. “We already share the high school with Concord,” he noted.
Parent Nancy Szczesniak was concerned about losing the current administration. “I’ve seen a lot of positive changes,” she said, “and I’m scared that those changes will get blurred and not be present anymore.”
Szczesniak raised another point, “And this question of what Carlisle is going to do to increase revenue is way more than a school issue.” She continued, “It seems to me that Carlisle as a town needs to decide if they want to merge with Concord. Do they want to increase business in the town so they look more like Concord and Lexington?” She continued, “Why is just the school committee considering this? Why isn’t this a broader decision that this town has to make about how are we going to meet our financial demands in the future?”
School Committee member Louis Salemy pointed out that the school is the largest portion of the town’s budget. Model said the town also has “a high level of services, education being the main one. We can’t continue. That’s a message we’ve been saying for several years.” He added, “It takes a period of crisis for people to get focused.”
Model said the police department has two officers per shift. “I don’t think anyone would consider that we should have one. The next level is no officer. The DPW could consolidate, but if we consolidate with Concord, whose streets get plowed first? What’s being debated here is an administrative service to the school that’s still here.”
Salemy explained that the CSC has decided to hire a consultant in order to have an independent evaluation of a superintendency union. The cost for the consultant is expected to be somewhere around $10,000.
Parent Lori Tucker asked if conversion to the union was “all or nothing?” Koski replied, “That’s what we want a consultant to help us with.”
Carlisle resident Jill Adams, noting that the financial analysis covered the next three years, wanted to understand what the “time line of decisions” will be. Committee member Bill Fink replied that the decision could be made this school year, but suggested the transition to the union could take longer. Possible steps mentioned by the CSC included forming focus groups and learning from other superintendency union districts. Koski noted the union formation was “not just our decision” but involves working with Concord.
Szczesniak asked if the consultant was going to “show us other ways of saving money, and give us a choice, this way or that?” Koski replied, “We really want the consultant to do the numbers on the superintendency.” School Committee member Wendell Sykes said he disagreed with the narrow focus of the consultant, and suggested the CSC ask the consultant “to look at all the possible things,” including alternate ways to cut the Carlisle School budget.
Parent Philip Gladstone said he spent the week looking at the statistical data from the Department of Education (DOE) on school administration costs. He said that Carlisle’s administration costs are “on the high side,” about $100 per pupil above the average for school districts of the same size. He said that Concord’s administration costs are “right on the money” in terms of comparable-sized districts, but the cost is higher than Carlisle’s, so any form of union with Concord should be done carefully, he warned.
“Philip and I spent many hours on the phone” researching data on the DOE website, Fink said. They looked at the 50 top-performing districts “from an MCAS standpoint,” and found that as districts got larger, the administrative costs were reduced. “It was just a sanity check,” on the economies of scale, he said.
Model said, “In my opinion, the school and the administration” are doing a great job. He noted that some education costs have been decreasing, while others are rising, such as unfunded state and federal mandates for programs such as support for English Language Learners.
Marybeth Stevenson spoke for the Carlisle School Advisory Council, asking that before any decision is made the CSC take into account the Carlisle School’s Strategic Plan. She asked that the School Committee assure the community that all effects of a recommended change have been researched and share details of their research with the community.
Doyle proposed research into other options to reduce costs at the school.Carlisle resident Bob Clarke asked if the school has considered cutting some administrative costs this year.
The School Committee did not take any votes regarding hiring a consultant or establishing a timeline leading to a decision on the superintendency union proposal. (For a summary of their February 9 meeting with the FinCom and Selectmen, see “CSC pushes for superintendency union soon,” page 1.) ∆