Below is an impressive laundry list of all the ways the schools have made cuts and improved efficiency. Where is the City's list? What have they done to reduce waste and improve efficiency? Seems to me that City Hall has imposed all the burden on the schools while keeping themselves fat, dumb and happy.

In response to the question, what have the schools done to cut costs/save money?

Melrose School Committee
4 hrs ·
At last night's School Committee meeting, Superintendent Taymore read a list of cuts and other actions that the Melrose Public Schools have taken to reduce costs or bring in additional resources. The list includes:

Staffing
• Eliminated one Business Office Secretary
• Eliminated three Curriculum Director Positions
• Reduced four Middle School positions, creating combined 7&8 team
• Share staff on the secondary campus
• Hire contract personnel to address some enrollment needs on a limited or short-term basis
• Hired in house legal counsel for the schools, eliminating outside counsel paid per hour

Purchasing
• Purchase in bulk yearly paper supply
• Pursued donation of classroom furniture from Hopkinton Public Schools to outfit additional classrooms
• Pursued donation of classroom furniture from Salem Public Schools to outfit additional classrooms
• Work with the Furniture Trust on a regular basis for other furniture needs
• Share office supplies and materials throughout the district
• Freeze budget yearly to control costs and save for unanticipated expenses in budget

Programming
• Create inhouse special education programs to reduce the out-of-district costs
• Put the middle and high school on the same bell schedule to maximize staff assignments and share space
• Meet the advanced needs of Grade 8 students via high school courses instead of adding middle school courses and/or staff
• Provide online courses for students as an option to meet graduation requirements
• Developed partnerships with local colleges for dual enrollment, practicum teachers, and interns
• Provide staff with in-house professional development options taught by administrators and other educators
• Merrimack Valley Partnership for professional development and curriculum development

Operations
• Transferred all the financial aspects of the “for pay programs” to central administration to increase accountability and track costs
• Use electronic communication in place of many of the standard mail delivery notifications
• Moved custodians out of the school budget and into DPW
• Provide an opt-out program insurance incentive to employees to reduce insurance costs
• Created permanent substitute programs at the secondary level and at three elementary schools to reduce costs and ensure consistency of staffing
• Reorganized Education Stations, reducing administrative staff and improving billing practices for cost efficiencies
• Reconfigured the Franklin School program options to maximize cost efficiencies
• Implemented School Choice to generate funds for adding staff (previous years)
• All staff took a zero (percent increase) in 2010
• Moved all Melrose employees to the GIC, to save on insurance costs
• Chartwells paying for equipment
• Van leases for athletics in place of yellow school buses

Technology
• Negotiated multi-year computer software contracts for cost savings
• Reduced the number of standalone printers in the district
• Networked the copiers for more cost savings
• Reduced cell phone usage costs across district
• Reconfigured phone lines to reduce overall costs
• Installed power monitoring software to shut off technology at night
• Used inhouse personnel for projects that had previously been outsourced
• Capture previous year’s e-rate money on an annual basis
• Plan technology projects so that they qualify for e-rate reimbursement
• Install FOB system for security and eliminate the need to personnel to monitor doors
• Took advantage of no cost software license (CAD)
• Pursued and awarded a grant for $20,000 for cyber security audit and planning

Other Funding Sources
• Safe Steps Grant (two phases over seven years) to build safe and supportive schools including funding two part-time counselors at elementary schools
• Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants to support the arts and enrichment programs across district
• Primary Source Grant in collaboration with SEEM districts to provide professional development
• Annual METCO Grant provides additional funding for staff and professional development
• DESE RADAR Grant in collaboration with SEEM districts to provide inclusion consultant and training for best inclusion practices
• DESE Safe and Supportive School Grant for MVMMS positive behavior intervention and strategies training
• Barr Foundation Grant (two grants for four years) to fund development of competency-based education and personalized learning K-12
• McLaughlin Foundation (MVMMS library, Arts festival, Safe and Supportive Schools supplement)
Booster Organizations (contribute to the costs of a variety of extracurricular activities)
• Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) (teacher classroom stipends, grants, enrichment programs, technology)
• Melrose Education Foundation (MEF) (multiple grants across all levels to support student and teacher interests, district pilots)
• Middlesex League Partnership with Lahey CLinic to fund the YRBS (Youth Risk Behavior Survey)

Vote.April 2 2019 Tuesday .
Mar 22, 2019 - 9:03PM
Re: Melrose Taxpayers Medeiros: need unobstructed view

Truth and Transparency
from the M Free Press:

Opinion: Medeiros: Taxpayers need unobstructed view
Posted at 12:40 PM Updated at 12:41 PM

Submitted by Alderman Monica Medeiros.

Last November, I, as an Alderman, voted against moving the Mayor’s proposed $5.18 million tax override question forward. I felt the city had not been thorough enough in evaluating our financial picture, nor in considering the effects of adding these millions of dollars of new spending.

In preparing for this vote, I learned that our city had much bigger problems than I had suspected. Namely that the executives in our city government have failed to do any long term evaluation of our financial outlook.

I felt it critical to have a full understanding of the financial assumptions the city was making before I could vote to pass such a hefty burden on to seniors and families.

After asking Mayor Infurna for copies of any long range budget forecasts that had been prepared and used by the City of Melrose over the last five years, I was forced to appeal to the Secretary of State’s office for this information only to learn that no such documents exist.

The Mayor’s office directed me to a tool on our city website, “Visual Budget.” In the Aldermen meeting, I asked our CFO & Auditor Patrick Dello Russo if this was the tool he was using to make our predictions in terms of revenues and expenditures. His reply? “We don’t make predictions. This is not a magic show.”

Try as I might, I could not seem to match the “Visual Budget” figures to the actual budgets I had voted on. Days later, Kerriann Golden, our Assistant Auditor confirmed, “The last actual figures reflected are Fiscal 2016,” -- two full fiscal years behind.

The outdated “Visual Budget” data was not only a waste of thousands of taxpayer dollars spent on this service, but also so inaccurate that it was actually misleading to the public. Most importantly, it could not have been being used as an accurate tool for evaluating our city’s financial outlook by anyone including our city executives.

Melrose is at a crossroads. Real estate prices have skyrocketed to an all-time high. Many new families have chosen Melrose for its great schools, beautiful downtown and its relative affordability.

Conversely, many of our families, seniors and one-income households are struggling. Recently, a Melrose Housing Authority Commissioner testified at our meeting that the waitlist for housing of Melrose families, seniors, Veterans and the handicap is in the thousands.

Sadly, I hear from residents who are told if they can’t afford this increase, they should move along. But where will they go? After paying their taxes for years, volunteering in our community, donating to all kinds of causes, including our schools, they are told they haven’t paid their “fair share” and should move along. I can think of little that is so cruel.

Even for those of us who are working, many of us are only one lockout or government shutdown away from being in financial peril.

But regardless of income, every taxpayer deserves good fiscal management.

As an Alderman-at-Large, my job is to consider the big picture ramifications of our decisions, especially when it comes to spending and taxation. When it comes to the big picture, the taxpayers deserve an unobstructed view.

If our leaders are not looking forward to ensure we can sustain the costs associated with the hiring of nearly 30 new positions and school department raises (not teachers only) of nearly $2 million included in this proposal, every one of these positions is at risk.

Before final decisions are made, the voters also need to know that large expenditures are waiting in the wings. What’s not included in this override, may be most significant.

This proposed tax increase includes no money for any other city department other than the schools. Although $250,000 is included in the override for the loss of rent from Beebe School, no plan exists to bring this building back online and fund the staff, renovation nor utility costs. As we make room for some Melrose students, we will disrupt the lives of the 30 or so Melrose special needs children who currently attend the SEEM Collaborative who will be uprooted and bussed to a new school outside our city limits.

Plans are in the works for the rebuilding or repair of the police and fire stations, and renovations of the library. Whether or not this question passes, each of these is expected to be presented to the voters in the form of an increase above the Prop 2 ½ limit.

Like our taxpayers, our leaders need a panoramic view before they make decisions that affect individuals so significantly. Financial forecasting in budgeting has been considered a best practice for more than a decade. Melrose can do better. Before any tax increase is considered, our taxpayers deserve an objective analysis of our financial picture and an independent audit of our books.

Demand accountability. Vote NO.
Water Sewer RATES

Much of the talk in Melrose of late has centered on the upcoming tax override vote, with each side of the debate making their presence known and stating their respective cases to all who will listen.
Faced with a Recession, what part of "We Can't afford It" do they not understand ?
Two weeks until this override.APRIL 2 2019 AND the water and sewer rates increases will be recommended on April 30, 2019. There is currently $1.46million in reserves in the water & sewer enterprise funds.

the water and sewer rates increases will be recommended on April 30, 2019. There is currently $1.46million in reserves in the water & sewer enterprise funds.

The efficiencies listed should have been done at the schools many years ago.

Many of the other items listed have nothing to do with trimming the budget, they're changes that were made for other reasons.

Most of that pathetic laundry list was stuff that should be done as a normal part of doing their job. They want our congratulations and sympathy for that? Yeah, I make coffee every morning, too, and take out the garbage. How about we nix this garbage can of a city administration and start with a great big NO for this boondoggle of an override. Then we bring in Wong from SVU and try to deprogram the idiot young parents who are so utterly brainwashed that they have become as crazed as their captors. Geez!

"Moved all Melrose employees to the GIC, to save on insurance costs "

Taymore et al. really had the cojones to claim credit for something that occurred how many years before she ever started staining this place????

"Negotiated multi-year computer software contracts for cost savings "

Oh really. And for how many years has this been going on? Is this supposed to be innovative?

"Networked the copiers for more cost savings "

And why in the bloody hll wasn't this done many years ago if you were doing your jobs even half competently? Or maybe this was done many years ago and you're just dredging the wastebaskets to see what you can fluff up your list here with to further brainwash the NotOneMelrose masses.

"Purchase in bulk yearly paper supply "

Really? The Melrose Public Schools didn't do this before? And we were told you had competent administration all along! When precisely did this "innovative" practice of BULK ORDERING of paper begin? Yesterday?

"Hired in house legal counsel for the schools, eliminating outside counsel paid per hour"
Sure, have the incompetent political appointee hack city solicitor who helped drive up legal costs astronomically over the last decade now supervise his hand-picked hack and have the city now responsible for a full slate of benefits for this individual besides. Just great. And of course that does nothing about the fat and sassy Special Ed lawyers who just keep raking it in defending the incompetent and wrong legal actions they've made all these years, so they get it both ways (making the bad calls and then defending them, all at taxpayer expense and hidden in special ed "tuition" line items).

"Used inhouse personnel for projects that had previously been outsourced "
Gee, now isn't that swell! Just what "projects" are we talking about here? How to swindle the Melrose public, perhaps?

"All staff took a zero (percent increase) in 2010"

News Flash: This is 2019.

"Took advantage of no cost software license (CAD)"
Wowie. Now that one takes real brains and courage.

"Provide staff with in-house professional development options taught by administrators and other educators "
Oh good. Have the foxes teach the chickens now nice it will be when they are eaten.

"Transferred all the financial aspects of the “for pay programs” to central administration to increase accountability and track costs"
Accountability? They are seriously kidding!

"Implemented School Choice to generate funds for adding staff (previous years) "
Oh, wow, so here they actually acknowledge that this was done in "previous years"! Congratulations!

"Pursued donation of classroom furniture from Salem Public Schools to outfit additional classrooms"
Now that's just special. Maybe we could get prison inmates back here to run after-school programs. It's not so long ago (according to this list time/relevance are all relative, after all) that the superintendent thought it was just swell to have a child molester running after-school programs. And then the brainwashed sheeple thought it was a terrific idea to have a convicted felon who stole from old people in charge of the school committee. So maybe the MPS could save the budget by having "professional development" run by the guy who really knows how to find other "funding sources"