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It’s a very fragile time for students, parents and staff, said Joe Nystrom.
Susan Vaughn
BP FILE PHOTO
The Barnstable School Committee last Wednesday passed a nearly $75.7 million FY 22 district operating budget, an increase of $1 million, or 1.4% over the current year.
Supt. Meg Mayo-Brown said the budget is based on a plan for a full return to in-person schooling following the pandemic. Continuing online opportunities appears less likely next year, she said.
The budget drew no public comment at the committee’s March meeting except on a proposed amendment to hire additional substitute teachers, which failed by a 4:1 vote.
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“We planned for a rainy day, said Gareth Markwell
Susan Vaughn We planned for a rainy day. Barnstable Deputy Finance Director Gareth Markwell
Barnstable Schools Supt. Meg Mayo-Brown presented the draft FY22 schools budget to the School Committee last Wednesday, then replayed it again Thursday for a joint meeting with the Town Council.
Mayo-Brown said the district s proposed $75.6 million includes a $1 million increase, or 1.4%, and is based on pre-pandemic funding levels – even though there are many unknowns about the coming school year regarding social distancing, vaccinations and other pandemic-related factors.
The pandemic caused a big overall decrease in district enrollment, the superintendent said. Some students left the BPS district to attend private schools. Many more changed to homeschooling. Mayo-Brown said the district s extra costs of dealing with the pandemic are expected to reach about $4.5 million.
In the wake of local pressure to “Save The Red Raider,” the Barnstable School Committee is considering a vote that would keep the name for its now-retired Native American mascot while the town searches for a new mascot.
When divorced from Native American imagery, the name “Red Raider” could evolve to have a new, inoffensive meaning, School Committee member Joe Nystrom said during a Jan. 6 meeting,
He said he didn’t intend to vote in August to drop the name, only the Native American imagery that has long been associated with it in Barnstable.
“The name Red Raider preceded the Native American imagery, and I feel that it can also move beyond it,” Nystrom said.“Like individuals and towns, I think the Red Raider can evolve.”