In a January 2024 interview, I discussed Newton City finances, pension and benefit obligations, and NPS negotiations. I supported the City fully funding its pension liabilities but cautioned that doing so by 2032 — eight years prior to the 2040 Commonwealth deadline — might jeopardize funding for other vital City…
Posts published in “Budgets”
On April 14, the City’s Retirement Board voted unanimously to approve Mayor Marc Laredo’s request to extend the schedule for funding the City’s outstanding pension liability. The City had originally planned to have its pension liability paid off by 2032. The new plan will pay off the liability by 2035,…
Deep, painful cuts are coming to NPS next year once again. To avoid them, different solutions have been presented to Mayor Laredo, from free cash to establishing a special education stabilization fund, to considering school choice. All were swiftly shut down without discussion. No alternative is more evident, viable, and prudent…
For the third time in four years, the Newton Public Schools (NPS) spring budgeting process has brought up the possibility of cuts across several departments, sparking concern and advocacy from educators and community members. These challenges come after COVID-19 relief funds have been exhausted and the March 2023 operating override failed…
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Casey Ngo-Miller presented to the School Committee on March 11 about the Special Education services provided by NPS and some of the challenges in budgeting and funding these services. A repeated theme was how state and federal mandates have increased the NPS allocation to Special…
The persistent budget shortfall facing Newton Public Schools is no longer a temporary hurdle; it is the fiscal crisis that remains the unspoken backdrop of every discussion about NPS. While the constraints are real, the way our leadership handles them is a choice, and currently, those choices are failing our…
The “carryforward” item within the Newton Public Schools (NPS) budget — the amount of cash unspent by NPS in the current year, which is then assumed to be expended in the next year’s budget — is a consistent source of confusion, taking much airtime during public budget meetings. NPS continues…
During March 9-16, the School Committee and NPS convened three public budget meetings to review detailed information from NPS departments regarding their budgetary methodologies and priorities. These meetings continued the dichotomy of the Superintendent, Mayor, and School Committee all acknowledging what they say is an improved budgeting process and working…
On March 2, the School Committee, including Mayor Marc Laredo, met with Superintendent Anna Nolin and NPS Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Liam Hurley in a public but unrecorded budget meeting at the Education Center. The meeting was also attended by Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Ayesha Farag and observed…
After the recent blockbuster snow storm, City officials expect costs of snow and ice removal in Newton to surpass their $5 million budget as expenditures continue to rise. The City Council’s Finance Committee unanimously approved the recommendation to transfer an additional $1.5 million from the snow and ice reserve in…
On Friday, November 28, City Councilor Lenny Gentile (Ward 4) filed a late docket item asking Mayor-elect Marc Laredo to explain how his planned increase in Mayoral Office staff from 7 to 9 will fit within the current fiscal-year budget. The docket item also asked the Mayor-elect to submit a…
The final Healey-Driscoll Administration’s public listening sessions regarding the funding of education will be held from 4:30-6:30PM on Wednesday, December 3 at Newton North High School. The Healey-Driscoll Administration is completing a series of public listening sessions to solicit feedback on the Chapter 70 school finance formula, the primary funding…