Brockton school turmoil tied to budget deficit

Report released on financial health, fiscal operations of school system

To understand the turmoil at Brockton High School, study the school system’s budget woes. Short of cash for the second year, Brockton’s teaching corps is overwhelmed amid an $18.3 million deficit.

Next year, the shortfall could reach $25 million, according to a report by the accounting firm contracted by the state to analyze its budget. Even if Brockton wins $15 million in new money, a balanced budget remains unlikely, according to Open Architects.

Brockton announced a multi-million dollar funding gap last spring, ordered pre-summer layoffs and put in place an apparent teacher-hiring freeze.

Teacher absences and understaffing during this school year opened gaps in students’ schedules, leaving high-schoolers to pass idle class periods in the cafeteria, where one teacher may monitor 100 kids at a time. Fights and open drug use have dominated national headlines.

While Gov. Maura Healey rejected calls to deploy National Guard troops to the high school, her administration deployed accountants to comb through the books. Their report was released Friday.

Still, the city has yet to account for nearly a quarter-billion dollars in state Chapter 70 education aid spent by the Brockton schools last year. Troy Clarkson, chief financial officer for the city of Brockton and its school system, confirmed that a key filing — a Chapter 70 compliance report for Fiscal Year 2023 — is overdue.

But long before, Brockton’s school finances were in question.

In November, the Banner reported that an analysis of Brockton’s FY22 Chapter 70 compliance report suggested that the system was failing to meet its minimum spending required by the foundation budget. Failure to do so increases the school spending minimum for the following year, putting inescapable pressure on succeeding budgets.

The 2022 report also revealed local spending priorities, as funding rose dramatically on administration and student activities while funds for teachers fell short by $4.3 million of what had been budgeted.

At a school board subcommittee meeting in February, Open Architects’ T.J. Plante said transportation costs were driving up deficits. Projections for transportation, Plante said, are going to be nearly double the $11 million appropriated by the city council.

Plante said potential major special-education support from a federal grant was in jeopardy due to Brockton’s failure to put its own money into providing instruction for special needs students.

Meanwhile, six months into the 2023-24 school year, about 150 positions remain vacant in the district, according to him.

Plante’s report recommends Brockton find an additional $20 million for 2025.

In spite of the hiring gap, Brockton’s sidelined Superintendent Michael Thomas, ending a medical leave, defended his staffing decisions when questioned at a Feb. 27 school committee meeting.

“Did I overstaff the high school? You’re damn right I did,” he said.

Countering earlier statements from Mayor Robert Sullivan that the schools got a city bailout, Thomas said the state’s largesse — not the city — has propped up the system.

“Chapter 70, since 1993, has bailed out the city,” exclaimed Thomas to the mayor shortly before the school board voted to place Thomas on administrative leave.

During his tenure as superintendent, Chapter 70 aid often outgrew the statewide fund. In FY22, Brockton’s share grew over 12%. Jacqueline Reis, a spokesperson for the Healey administration’s education department, said Brockton benefited from a one-time consideration of the Student Opportunity Act that counted outdated low-income demographics.

In the last two years, that trend reversed — Brockton’s share grew slower than Chapter 70.

“Brockton experienced a much more significant enrollment decline than the state average,” Reis said. As a result, the per-pupil Chapter 70 aid amount grew by 45% over six years, she explained.

But there’s good news in Gov. Healey’s proposed budget for Brockton, which adds $15.2 million to Brockton’s Chapter 70 allocation. The district is the state’s fifth-highest beneficiary from the formula.

The increase comes as many Brockton residents, including Brockton City Council President Moises Rodrigues, lament inertia in the city to address pressing challenges.

“There’s no appetite in the council to do anything to help out because they don’t want to. They’re tired of it,” said Rodrigues.

Such resigned attitudes are prevalent, according to a number of Brockton residents.

Fred Fontaine, a Haitian community leader, said he’s discouraged by the lack of urgency shown by city leaders across the board.

“The church is not doing anything. The community leaders, they all stay silent. Everybody… it’s like they give up,” he said.

Eliza Wilson, a community activist who serves as an advisor on a parent council, agreed.

“It just seems there’s this apathy of ‘Well, yeah, the kids are fighting,’” Wilson said.