Dracut Town Meeting "Budget Cheat Sheet"

Loss of State Aid When Kids

Leave DPS 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: FY16 town budget book & hearing.

$6.5M counts as "school spending" in Dracut -- a
larger % than any comparable town.)

2008
11.1%
16.9%

State av.

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 Bridgewater #1 lowest
(source: DESE per pupil spending report, 2014,
prior to Grafton override. Dracut will drop 1 or 2
places in FY15.)

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

special ed

218.0
201.5
185.5
183.0

29.0
29.0
29.0
28.5

Drop in federal funding to

schools: $600K in 2014 alone
2008
$2.879 million
2009
$4.573 million
2010
$4.062 million
2011
$3.627 million
2012
$3.805 million
2013
$2.846 million
2014
$2.250 million

Stabilization Fund Report

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

reg. ed

$1.5 million

(source: DESE)

Special Education Participation Rising

but Below State Average
Dracut

# 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)

(source: MASS DOR local officials databank)

Not Just School Dept. Affected by Budget Crunch

(millions of dollars)

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

2015
7.557
29.566
5.051
32.866
28.500
16.727

2008
6.874
27.620
4.716
31.856
29.283
12.544

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

annual growth

1.4%
1.0%
1.0%
0.4%
-0.4%
4.2%