School Department ‘Finds’ Budget Funds to Restore Field Trips-October 7, 1976

Norwood schoolchildren will be able to take their traditional educational field trips this year after all, despite the town meeting in June cutting the necessary funding directly from the school budget.

School Department Business Manager Lawrence S. Canter reported to the School Committee last night that a series of unanticipated budget adjustments and lower-than-expected contract costs successfully uncovred $18,577, fully covering the field trip transportation program.

Overcoming Finance Commission Rejection

The funding crisis began when the Finance Commission rejected an August 25 request by school officials for a $16,271 reserve fund transfer to restore the town meeting’s budget cut. The FinCom dismissed the request by citing “sloppy budget preparation,” instructing school administrators to re-examine their ledgers and find the money internally.

Since that rebuke, Canter has been meticulously reviewing figures and negotiating with bus contractor Sansone Motors. While Canter candidly admitted to a $4,000 arithmetic error on his own part, he explained that the vast majority of the $18,577 surplus stemmed from reduced transportation expenses.

Savings materialized across several areas:

• $6,000 saved by cutting the number of kindergarten regular bus trips.
• $5,000 saved by funding cost-of-living increases for retired personnel on pensions differently.
• Lower overall bus contract costs achieved through negotiations with Sansone Motors, where vehicle cost increases were averaged out evenly over the five-year life of the contract rather than front-loaded into the first three years.

Total allocated school transportation costs—excluding field trips—dropped from an initial estimate of $297,245 down to $278,168, leaving the crucial difference available for student excursions.

School Board member Rudith Berkowitz praised the outcome, commenting that there is now enough money “to carry on with the field trips as we always have and with less financial support having to come from parents.”

Other School Committee Actions

During the same meeting, the School Committee handled several other items of municipal business:

• Town Meeting Articles: Approved two warrant articles for the November 8 special town meeting seeking a total of $6,500 ($1,500 for a special town meeting and $5,000 for pension adjustments).
• Balch School Parking: Agreed to grant a hearing on October 13 to representatives from the Concerned Citizens of South Norwood to discuss community concerns regarding the Balch School parking lot.
• Custodian Time Clocks: Voted to begin operating new time clocks for all school custodians starting today.
• Administration Building Access Policy: Approved a new administrative policy requiring employees seeking to enter the administration building for personal matters or collective bargaining issues to schedule formal appointments in advance. The rule is a direct response to a tense confrontation two weeks prior in Canter’s office involving members of the custodians’ union that necessitated a police response.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger