Dracut Town Meeting "Budget Cheat Sheet"

Town Losing State Aid When

Kids Leave for Charter Schools

Sudden Spikes in Health

Insurance Claims?
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

year

$8.43 million
$8.94 million
$10.33 million
$9.23 million (GIC)
$9.74 million (GIC)
$10.67 million (est.)

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

(source: town budget book & public hearing 2016)

2010
11.7%
17.0%

2012
12.5%
17.0%

2014
14.5%
17.1%

(source: DESE)

Lowest funded districts in MA

Dracut
#5
Grafton
#4
Douglas
#3
Southampton
#2
East Bridgwater #1 lowest
(source: DESE per pupil spending report, 2014)

Prepared June 2015 by

Dracut Fiscal Working Group
email: dracut-fwg@googlegroups.com

cost to town

51
53
79
114
150
160?

$0.4 million

(full time equivalents, from DESE)

year
2009
2011
2013
2014

$0.4 million
$0.5 million
$0.6 million
$1.0 million

218.0
201.5

185.5
183.0

special ed
29.0
29.0
29.0
28.5

After stimulus ended, Dracut

schools saw additional $600k
drop in federal funding
2008
$2.879 million
2009
$4.573 million
2010
$4.062 million
2011
$3.627 million
2012
$3.805 million
2013
$2.846 million

Stabilization Fund Report

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

reg. ed

$1.5 million

(source: DESE)

Special Education Participation

Rising but Below State Average
year
2008
Dracut 11.1%
State ave. 16.9%

# charter

Number of Teachers in Dracut

Public Schools

stabilization

free cash

% of budget

$2.6 million
$2.7 million
$3.3 million
$3.7 million
$4.2 million

$1.8 million
$2.8 million
$2.1 million
$0.8 million
$2.4 million

6.0%
7.2%
6.9%
5.4%
7.9%

(Shows grant and revolving fund expenditures,

not including school lunch program, or bus fees,
or athletic fees for Dracut from DESE ppx
report)

Not Just School Dept Affected by Budget Crunch

(millions of dollars)

Public Safety
Dracut Schools, w/ external SPED
Dept of Public works
Dracut PS including state/federal $
DracutPS-all funds in District Only
General Govt & Insurance

2015
7.557
29.566
5.051
32.866
28.500
16.727

2008 growth rate

6.874
1.4%
27.620
1.0%
1.0%
4.716
31.856
0.4%
-0.4%
29.283
12.544
4.2%

(source: town budget book, with additional analysis from DESE per pupil spending reports)