ANDOVER — After almost three hours of debating town finances Monday night, voters approved an operating budget with an additional $1,875,000 to prevent cuts in school positions.
The new operating budget totals $235.9 million with the amended increase allocated for the school budget. Voters at the annual Town Meeting increased the budget to save 34 positions the school district is looking at cutting to eliminate a $2.7 million shortfall.
More than 900 voters turned out at Andover High School for Town Meeting, which continues Tuesday. Andover needs to balance its budget before the new fiscal year begins July 1.
The proposed cuts of 34 school positions amount to about $2.5 million in annual salary. The previous operating budget was $234 million.
During debate on the budget, which included three votes on amendments, school staff members, parents and other residents made cases for why the cuts should be prevented. Others, including community officials and some residents, stressed the importance of long-range financial planning.
“The quality of education in Andover will be diminished,” said Mary Robb, a social studies teacher at Andover High School.
As town officials work to balance the new budget, it is unclear if the extra funding would prevent all or even some of the cuts. Since the extra money was appropriated for schools, the School Committee will need to decide how it will be spent.
School Committee Chair Lauren Conoscenti said immediately after the meeting that the committee did not yet have a plan for the additional money.
To balance the budget, the town will need to either reduce expenses or hold a Special Town Meeting to appropriate more money, according to Town Manager Andrew Flanagan.
During the meeting, many advocated for free cash to be used to save the jobs. Officials pushed back against the idea, saying it is against state Department of Revenue guidelines to use free cash for ongoing expenses.
Flanagan argued for sticking with the town’s budget and spoke against the solutions proposed by residents.
“These ideas are contrary to the guiding principles that have provided the town with financial stability,” he said. “I respectfully ask that you consider the option of adhering to our plan.”
Residents voted 488-451 against an amendment to increase the school operating budget by $2.7 million. But they also voted for the amendment to increase the school operating budget by $1.8 million.
Operating budgets tend to make up the majority of the town’s overall budget.
Votes on the operating budget are also often straightforward and residents’ ability to vote down the budget or amend it is rarely utilized. With hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to various departments, amending the budget can be tricky for residents.
Before the amendment, the school budget totaled $103,335,959, an increase of $3,735,035 or 3.75% in the current budget.
Personnel make up about 80% of the school budget, according to the district.
The budget deficit is mainly the result of a contract won by the teachers union during a strike, as well as an increase in costs for services such as transportation, according to the school district.
Conoscenti reinforced that fact during the meeting.
“During the strike, this point was repeatedly made,” she said. “The educators acknowledged that was something we were wrestling with.”
School budget shortfalls are not unique to Andover this year, with North Andover facing a deficit of $3.1 million.
Cutting positions is expected to affect class sizes, however, the School Committee has said it will stick to the district’s goals.
Ever since the Andover Education Association won the new contract, the union has said the cuts were proposed in retaliation for the strike.
School officials have said the cuts are also in line with reductions in enrollment that total about 11% over the past decade.
School instructional assistant Holly Currier said staff are asked to do more.
“Students’ needs have grown in complexity every year,” she said. “The level of need demands more staff.”
Officials have also said larger-than-usual increases in school spending would be unwise. For each of the last few years, Andover has increased its school budget by roughly 3.75%. The norm promotes the long-term financial health of the town and stops departments from having to fight for their budgets at Town Meeting, according to officials.
Town Meeting concluded on Monday night with only a handful of the 34 articles being taken up.