Over the last six months, the Lowell School Department has been wrestling with a projected budget shortfall of between $7 million and $9 million. I feel it is my responsibility to ensure that the community at large realizes how devastating this level of cuts would be for Lowell Public Schools.
Lowell Public Schools for the past two decades have enjoyed positive growth in all areas. We have a higher percentage of new schools than any other urban district in the commonwealth. We are proud of the fact that this year we were ranked in first place of all urban school districts for our student achievement growth in the area of mathematics and in the top third for English language arts. The staff and programs that have ensured our success in the past have been significantly reduced over the past six years, and any further reduction at this point will result in the elimination of entire programs and key positions that have made our gains possible.
We have been working with our state delegation and the city manager in an attempt to mitigate this financial shortfall, but at this time no one knows what the final numbers will be. What we do know, however, is that any reduction in funds will have a detrimental and long-lasting impact on student achievement.
Given the amount of the anticipated shortfall, the Lowell School Department and School Committee have done a great deal of planning and budget analysis over the past six months so that the cuts taken do the least amount of damage. We have held numerous finance subcommittee meetings to discuss this dire situation. Many concerned community leaders such as George Duncan, president, Enterprise Bank, Jim Cook, Lowell Plan director and Kendall Wallace, chairman, Lowell Publishing Company, to just name a few, have joined us in these discussions over the past year. We appreciate their time and support of the Lowell Public Schools. Their commitment to a high quality education system is reflective of the support we have for the schools throughout the city.
There are no easy answers as we are still feeling the effects of the 2008 economic crisis. Despite this downturn, our students and their families are counting on us to be the best we can be even in difficult times. Granted, as your superintendent of schools, I wrestle with the complexities and difficulties of clearly communicating the damage of further cuts to Lowell Public Schools and the need to provide hope and inspiration at the same time. Please know that we are committed to educational excellence and collectively we will overcome. You are encouraged to attend the public budget hearings Thursday, May 27, and Tuesday, June 1, in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 7 p.m.
CHRIS SCOTT
Superintendent of Schools
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