Residents thanked Franklin city councilors Monday for helping close the school budget gap for the next fiscal year. Then, they asked the councilors to work harder and do even better next year.
“The school district is your responsibility,” said Charlie Chapple, a Franklin High School English teacher. “It cannot be the last thing on the agenda as it was this year.”
Chapple referred to the school district coming up as the final budgetary item for the city council before a budget public hearing Monday night.
By the end of Monday’s meeting, the city council unanimously approved $15.62 million in city appropriations and $15.3 million in school district appropriations.
City councilors also laid out their plans for improving next year’s budgeting process.
For this year, the final budget came after several months of meetings between city councilors and the Franklin school board. The school budget has been the subject of an intense discussion since May, when the school board announced it had to send pink slips to 22 teachers and three support staff due to revenue shortfalls.
Through a combination of budget cuts on the school board’s end and some additional money transferred from municipal departments, the school board managed to keep at least 12 of its teachers.
To fully fund the budget originally proposed to the city council in June, however, almost $900,000 would have to be raised. And that’s the level at which Jennifer Weaver – a Paul Smith Elementary second-grade teacher and the “Fully Fund Franklin’s Schools” Facebook page creator – wants to see the school district.
“My goal was to get the message out to parents and community members that our schools were in danger,” she said, speaking at the microphone in Franklin City Hall before city councilors and dozens of attendees. “I think my message was received.”
Weaver added, “I hope, though, that more in the future can be done to bring our schools up to what they should be.”
She said she wants to see students get an art teacher back in the elementary school, to have the high school regain eliminated elective classes, and for Franklin Middle School to offer foreign languages.
To get there, Weaver said, “I want to encourage everyone to stay positive and to be active in the community for nobody else but our children.”
Resident Jacqueline Clark suggested more parents run for city council.
“Let’s get some people who have kids in the city school district on the council,” Clark said. Right now, none of the city councilors have children currently in Franklin schools.
Clark added that she also wanted to see a referendum in Franklin on whether the city’s tax cap should be raised. The cap, first instituted in 1989 and then adjusted in 2001 and 2002, limits property tax rates to increase by the Consumer Price Index – Urban.
Resident Jeff Savory also said he wanted a referendum. “It’s not going to hurt to have that extra revenue,” he said.
“I do not enjoy paying more taxes, but I certainly will if it benefits my children and other children in the community.”
Former state representative Leigh Webb suggested local residents reach out to their state representatives, senators and governor.
“A lot of the onus is on the state, not the city,” he said. “The adequacy formula is not adequate and it’s getting worse.”
Franklin, for example, lost just over $283,000 in its state adequacy grant between last year and this year.
Mayor Ken Merrifield said Franklin is sending out a joint letter to every municipality in New Hampshire asking for litigation and possible legislative action in response to the state Department of Education’s decreased funding to cities and towns.
“We have a lot better chance of succeeding if it’s not just Franklin alone,” Merrifield said.
Chapple asked that the city council do what it can, immediately, for Franklin schools.
“Litigation takes a lot of time,” he said. “We need action now.”
City councilors agreed. George Dzujna said the school and city liaison committee meets Aug. 8, and Tony Giunta said the Franklin school board will begin sitting in on the monthly fiscal committee meetings.
“Get ready, batten down the hatches,” Giunta said. “We’re getting together.”
(Elodie Reed can be reached at 369-3306, ereed@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @elodie_reed.)