Chatham school personnel are scheduled to receive pay raises for fiscal 2010 ranging as high as 6 percent and in, at least one case, 8%.

The School Department and the School Committee would not make any significant reductions in their overall departmental 8% spending increase request.

The school union declined to agree to the Selectmen’s request for a voluntary price freeze. In fact, the union asked the Selectmen to withdraw its request for a voluntary freeze, which the Selectmen refused to do.

Members of the Chatham Finance Committee have expressed concern that worsening financial conditions in fiscal year 2010 (beginning July 1) might lead to layoffs if monies aren’t saved from pay raises or other items to deal with revenue shortfalls. A significant part of Chatham town revenues supporting the town budget comes from such economically sensitive sources as hotel/motel taxes, motor vehicle taxes and such charges as mooring fees.

Meanwhile, the Sandwich schools are showing their seriousness about living within their means. The special needs department has overspent its budget by $113,500 with three months to go in fiscal 2009, so School Superintendent Johnson laid off two part-time tutors and told a special needs teacher her job was in jeopardy. The Cape Cod Times reports:

"The special-needs department overspent their budget, and they are suffering the consequences," school board member Trish Lubold said.

Laura Calyle, president of the teachers' union, said she is still investigating the cuts and may file a grievance on behalf of the teacher. The two tutors are hourly employees and are not part of the union, she said.

Lubold said teachers knew the contract they negotiated could result in budget shortfalls.

"We told them if they wanted a 3 percent raise, it would result in teachers losing their jobs. [Superintendent Johnson] is doing her job, making people accountable," Lubold said. "If you don't want to get on the change train, then get off and get a job somewhere else."

It beginning to look as if taxpayers at Chatham’s Town Meeting on May 11th will be left to make the hard choices necessary to deal with the FY10 budget that to many seems too rich. The Selectmen's recommended budget was rejected by a majority of the Finance Committee, but the Selectmen did not make any reductions in the spending increases of $1 million over FY09.

The bulk of the Chatham spending increases are in pay raises. Across all departments pay raises built into the Chatham FY2010 budget total at least $730,000, $351,000 in the schools (many as high as 6%) and $380,000 in the other departments (some increases up to 7%). Money being spent on raises might be better diverted to reserve funds to guard against a deteriorating financial condition in FY10 that could trigger layoffs.

For a good picture of where things stand, do read CCT’s report of the Finance Committee deliberations on the operating budget.