Leadership Forum: Wrentham Superintendent Discusses Working Within Tight Budget

Wrentham Elementary Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden discussed providing results with a tight budget at the town's leadership forum Saturday.

Marsden was at the meeting to represent the Elementary School Committee, which was among the organizations invited to the forum. He spoke about the committee's upcoming goals.

"What a successful fiscal year 2012 budget means to me is not laying off a person for the first time in four years," he said. "What we're looking at right now is to hold on to what we have."

He said another goal was looking at changing the town's voting location in the schools.

"At one point, the school committee was looking at the voting move because of safety, but it's really evolved from that," he said. "The question became: how do we do this so we're not displacing 800 students for lunch or after-school programs?"

"We came up with a plan that involved the gymnasium," he added.

Those present asked why the schools simply didn't have professional development days during elections. Marsden said the district had done so for major elections, but the recent special elections (like the one that sent Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate) were less predictable.

Marsden said the district had made efforts to generate revenue. One such effort, he said, is the town's preschool program, for which parents pay tuition.

Marsden also discussed the district's recent contract negotiations with its teachers, which involved cuts to health insurance.

"I would challenge any school district to get the moves we got while also getting a zero [percent pay raise]," he said.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Stephen Langley praised the district's efforts.

"I think they're a victim of their own success," he said. "They've been able to maintain and enhance their achievements [with limited funds]  — they do miraculous things there."

Marsden said the district was doing its best to keep costs low.

"I think school districts have a reputation for going into Town Meeting with two open hands and no reciprocity," he said. "We do go in with two open hands, but we can say, 'We're doing these things to generate revenue.'"