Swift Middle School

May 3, 2024

Dear Watertown Public Schools Faculty, Families, and Students,

Appreciation Days

The month of May brings many appreciation and recognition days for roles in public school districts. We appreciate all of our employees throughout the year, with the many different days of recognition for varying roles across the district. 

April 23 - Bus Drivers Appreciation Day

April 24 - Secretaries Appreciation Day

May 1 - Principals Appreciation Day

May 3 - Food Service and Cafeteria Workers Day

May 6-10 Teachers Appreciation Week

May 8 - School Nurses Appreciation Day

FY 25 Budget Frequently Asked Questions

Several members of the community have reached out with questions regarding specific questions about the Budget process for the upcoming year. Please click here for a detailed Frequently Asked Questions Document regarding the FY 25 Budget. The Budget Referendum is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. 

With lots happening around the district, please see below for lots of pictures and other important dates and happenings from in and around the district!

Have a great weekend, Watertown. May the ‘Fourth (Force)’ be with you!

Dr. V

Internet Safety Presentation Video

Earlier this Spring, the Detective Mark Conway from the Watertown Police Department hosted a webinar on Internet Safety. If you weren’t able to attend but would like to view the recording, see below for links to the  Internet Safety Video Presentation and a direct link to the Watertown Police Website. 

• https://youtu.be/Ye0SH1wUwoc

• https://watertownct.org/community/public_safety/police_department/detective/internet_crimes_against_children_information.php

Welcoming Committee

Lastly, the next ‘Welcoming Committee’ meeting will take place on Monday, May 13 at 5:45PM in the WHS Lecture Hall. Another reminder will be sent out closer to the date!

Kindergarten Registration for FY 25

This is a friendly reminder that Kindergarten Registration for the 2024-2025 academic year is open! Click here to learn more about the registration process.

Important Dates and Happenings

May 1 - LCSA/CAPSS Superintendent’s Award Banquet, 5PM, Grand Oak Villa

May 1 - Principals Appreciation Day!

May 2 - WHS Instrumental Concert, 7 pm, WHS Auditorium

May 2 - Swift STEAM Night, 6 - 7:30PM

May 3 - School Cafeteria and Food Service Workers Appreciation Day

May 6 - Start of Teacher Appreciation Week!

May 6 - Boston Field Trip; arrive at Swift 7 AM, return to Swift~ 6 PM

May 8 - National Walk or Bike to School Day! CTDOT Celebrates National Bike Month this May

May 8 - School Nurses Appreciation Day

May 9 - Swift Instrumental Concerts,  6 pm,  6th Grade, String Ensemble, & Jazz Band/  7:15 pm 7th and 8th Grade, Swift Auditorium

May 9 - Early Release Day for Students, PD for Faculty 

May 13 - Welcoming Committee Meeting, 5:45PM Watertown Lecture Hall

May 16 - 6 pm, Swift Grade 6-8 Choral Concert, Swift Auditorium

May 23 - 6 pm & 7 pm, 2nd Grade Concerts, JTPS    

May 23 - Early Release Day for Students, PD for Faculty    

May 27 - Memorial Day Parade, Schools and Office Closed for Holiday    

May 28 - Swift Quassy field trip, 9:00-2:00  

May 30 - Fantastic Festival (select music students)

June 10 - Grade 8 Dinner Dance at Grand Oak Villa

June 13 - Last day of school, Swift and WHS Graduation, John Mills Complex

FY 25 BUDGET 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. IF THE BOE & TOWN BUDGETS ARE ONLY INCREASING 3.91% COMBINED, WHY ARE MY PROPERTY TAXES GOING UP ALMOST 8%?

All property assessments in the Watertown community based on the most recent Grand Evaluation are going up on average + 43%. That means Watertown homes are worth more.

That may also mean homes in Watertown are worth more because the families that are attracted to come to the community see the Watertown Public Schools as a return on investment and the town is seeing an increase in property values because people want to live in this community. 

A lot goes into calculating a mil rate or reassessing homes. Very simply however, to answer the question, “Why are taxes going up 8% on average for households when the combined BOE/Town budget is only going up 3.91%?” 

In short, it’s definitely not JUST because of the Board of Education budget.

There are other items a municipality must pay for beyond a school budget that is rolled into a mil rate calculation. To be clear,  the combined BOE & Town budgets are NOT going up 8%.

Typically when Grand Eval assessments increase, mil rates should decrease. And with only a 3.91% increase in the budget, WHY are taxes increasing by 8% on average?

Here are some questions to ask and research:

• If BOE and Town budgets are less than half of what the overall tax increase is, what else is driving the tax increase?

  Why didn’t the mil rate go down further after the grand evaluation? 

  Is there a decrease in taxable properties? 

  Is there a decrease in the commercial tax base?

  How can towns increase economic development and other financial actions RATHER than continued cuts to a limited BOE and Town Budget to offset taxes?

The BOE is committed to working with the town of Watertown to consider what it means to take other actions rather than cut, cut, cut, each year. Towns can drive a better Return on Investment in other areas like commercial economic development or other finance management strategies and yield revenue so the BOE and Town budgets do not have to be continually held back and reduced every year. Making progress and moving forward is the goal and the BOE is dedicated to exploring new ideas to help continue building the Town of Watertown for all stakeholders to benefit.

2. WHAT IS A ZERO-BASED BUDGET?

Zero Based Budgeting on the simplest level is a process that requires all expenses to be justified, detailed, and explained, for each new academic year.

1. The process of zero-based budgeting starts from a "zero base," and every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs. 

   “Zero-based budgeting can help lower costs by avoiding blanket increases or decreases to a prior period's budget. However, it is a time-consuming process that takes much longer than traditional, cost-based budgeting”.

   There are fluctuations in cost across resources at varying times of the year (short term) and over many years (long term). Zero based budgets are built around what is needed for the upcoming period, regardless of whether each budget is higher or lower than the previous one which allows us to consider peak times, cost fluctuations and unanticipated expenditures with more agility.

2. THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN BUDGET REFERENDUM PROCESS

Excerpt from the Watertown Town Charter 2020.

Section 309. Power of Referendum 

The electors shall have the power to approve or reject at a referendum, any ordinance or other measure passed by the Council, except an ordinance or resolution appointing or removing officials, appropriating money, authorizing the levy of taxes or fixing the tax rate. Ordinances or other measures submitted to the Council as provided in Section 308 and passed by the Council without change shall be subject to a referendum in the same manner as other ordinances or measures. 

Within twenty (20) days after the publication of an ordinance or other measure subject to referendum, a petition may be submitted to the Town Clerk. Such petition shall be addressed to the Council and shall request that such ordinance or other measure shall be repealed by the Council or be submitted to a vote of the electors, and shall be signed in ink or indelible pencil by qualified electors of the town equal in number to at least five (5%) percent of the electors on the voting list. The Town Clerk shall proceed as prescribed by General Statutes as to referenda. 

If the number of qualified signatures, as certified by the Town Clerk, equals or exceeds five percent of the electors on the voting list and the Council fails or refuses to repeal such ordinance or other measure at its next meeting following the delivery of the petition to its clerk, the question of repeal shall be submitted to a vote of the electors at a referendum which must be called by the Council to be held not less than ten (10) nor more than twenty (20) days after said meeting of the Council. 

Such referendum shall be held in conformity with the provisions of the General Statutes relating to referenda. Upon the submission of the petition to the Town Clerk as above provided, the ordinance or other measure shall remain without effect until either (a) the first meeting of the Council following delivery of the petition by the Town Clerk to the clerk of the Council with a certification showing that the number of signatures on the petition is insufficient, which fact shall be recorded upon the minutes of the Council, or (b) the question of repeal has been decided in the negative by a vote of the electors at the referendum at which not less than twenty-five (25%) percent of the electors on the voting list shall have voted.

4. HOW DOES AN ARBITRARY DECREASE OF AN APPROVED BOE BUDGET AFFECT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT?

Every penny counts in a school district budget when it follows a Zero Based Budgeting method. There is no fluff and no padding to the Watertown Public Schools BOE budget because every item that is included has been justified as needed to provide the optimal learning experience for students in the coming year.

When there is an ‘arbitrary’ decrease of an approved BOE Recommended Budget, that means personnel, resources, and supplies must be eliminated in order to make up the difference. And when something is eliminated, that means an employee may be reduced, an experience may not take place, resources aren’t purchased to be used and in general, whatever should’ve been in place IS NOT in place. 

5. WHERE DO YOU FIND DETAILED INFO ON THE BOE BUDGET?

All detailed information regarding the Watertown Public Schools Budget can be found on the main website. www.watertownps.org. Click on the button titled “2024-2025 Budget Information”

6. HOW OFTEN DOES THE BOE UPDATE ON SPENDING AND WHETHER THE DISTRICT IS WITHIN BUDGET?

The Watertown Public Schools provides a public budget update monthly at regularly scheduled BOE meetings. These meetings are streamed online and open to the public. 

In addition, the monthly budget that outlines all Year to Date (YTD) expenditures and a running balance is sent to all Town Council Members and the Town Manager each month for their review.

The Watertown Public Schools believes in budget transparency and provides all lines by object to the public each month and projects whether the district is move forward as anticipated; or facing any unanticipated/unexpected expenditures; to provide the BOE, Town Council and Public a sense of where the BOE’s financial standing is every 30 days. This also allows for the BOE to provide timely updates if a budget must go into a freeze or any drastic measures must be taken to mitigate any overages for the year.

7. WHAT ARE UNFUNDED MANDATES?

All Public Schools districts are required by law to abide by all Federal and State Statutes. That means when laws change and new legislation is written each year that requires something new, different, or mandatory by school districts, all public school districts MUST comply because it is a ‘mandate’. 

When Mandates are designed but not paired with funding from the Federal or State government, that means that public school districts and their municipalities MUST find the funding to ensure that all mandates are in place regardless of whether there is funding or not. If Public schools do not comply with all laws, they are ‘out of compliance’ and will have to serve the consequences and any legal action that goes along with not following the rules.

It is imperative that school districts follow the law. It is critical to abide by rules for various reasons. If school districts do not follow the law, at a minimum they will have to face legal ramifications from a variety of stakeholders, not just the government.

8. UNDERSTANDING SPECIAL EDUCATION AND OUTPLACEMENT COSTS. WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR WATERTOWN?

It is important to note that any and all Special Education related financial costs are statutorily required to be covered by school districts and municipalities if a child is in need of special education services based on IDEA law. It is a public school district’s duty to provide FAPE, a Free and Appropriate Public Education to all eligible students of a community.

In the Watertown Public Schools, we are proud to serve all of our families and students with excellent programs and services within our district. We have students with disabilities who attend special programs right within our schools in town and receive services within our general mainstream classrooms. Our ‘in-district’ programs are run by Watertown Public School employees, service providers and are designed to take place right within our district during the school year.

Sometimes, students have greater needs than we can provide them in our school district. When this occurs, a student’s Planning and Placement Team (PPT) members come together collectively to determine the most appropriate and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for the student to receive services in. At themes, this can result in an ‘Outplacement’ if the school district does not have a suitable program that meets the child’s needs.

In general, the wider the continuum of services a district can offer students, typically results in fewer students needing an outplacement program. 

Watertown Public Schools has proudly increased the number of specialized education programs in district each year, providing FAPE and a high quality education for many children with specialized needs within our district and community. 

The cost benefit analysis of the number of programs we’ve grown just in the last two years have already mitigated millions of dollars.

Special education Outplacement costs can range anywhere from $60,000 - $300,000/ per year/ per student and placement. Outplacement tuition and transportation costs for highly specialized programs that may included ‘hospitalization, residential, therapeutic, etc’ programs can be very high. Because of this, even one student with specialized needs can impact an annual budget significantly. This is why it continues to be a focus area for the Watertown Public Schools to continue growing our special education programs in house.

9. DRG COMPARISON OF # OF ADMINISTRATORS

In relation to districts in our District Reference Group that are similar in size, the number of Administrators varies. Based on districts in our region and in our DRG, Watertown Public Schools has the second lowest number of Administrators at the building and central office level.

Conclusion

A strong and trusting relationship between a town’s Board of Education and Town Council is paramount. It is a partnership that requires continued work to build and reinforce. It takes years to build trust and just a moment to break it. The BOE’s continued efforts in building this relationship have started to open doors for productive conversations to take place and look forward to a reciprocal effort from the Town of Watertown.

In a municipality like Watertown, we must not overlook how the town’s school system is an immediate return on investment. The school system should be leveraged in a town that is  focused on economic development and growth. We must remember that new business owners and new homeowners have families. Families that want to relocate to beautiful town’s like Watertown and educate their children in. The stronger and more attractive the school system, the immediate return on new economic investments in the town.

In the immediate however, the FY25 BOE Recommended Budget is authentic and real. There is no excess anywhere. The BOE stands by the method of presenting a budget that has been squeezed to the last drop without any padding because we believe in asking for a ‘real’ budget. 

Unfortunately when additional cuts need to be made to a recommended budget, they immediately impact personnel lines as that is where cuts must be made first. The ramifications of reducing personnel lines however are grave and deep as they immediately impact our students and families.