By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
School Committee member David Ela informed the School Committee Monday night that the Finance Committee will be bringing forth a budget proposal for a $73,515,225 fiscal year 2017 budget at its next meeting on April 4.
That budget figure includes a $69,015,225 operating budget and a $4.5 million capital budget for the schools.
Ela’s news came as part of the Finance Committee report to the full School Committee and did not include any additional details about the upcoming budget.
However, following the meeting, Superintendent of Schools Frederick Foresteire said that the process for beginning the budget discussion will have the full School Committee accepting the budget proposal at the next meeting on April 4 and voting to schedule a public hearing on the budget, at least two weeks after the board accepts the budget.
“The public hearing on the budget will likely be April 19,” explained Foresteire. “That’s when we will really get the chance to talk about the budget and go over it in detail.”
Foresteire and Assistant Superintendent Thomas Stella also noted that the School Finance Committee and the superintendent’s office have been in close discussion with Mayor Carlo DeMaria and his staff about the budget request.
“He is aware of the needs of the school and I want to say that he has been very open and supportive of the schools, as he always is,” said Foresteire.
“He understands that the Everett School system has been getting short changed in the funding formula by the state, just like Revere and Chelsea are and he knows that the formula pays us next year for the student enrollment we have this year,” added Stella.