Salem delays layoffs to seek state aid
| Salem is delaying the layoffs of about 60 school employees to seek emergency aid from the Legislature. |
State bailout for Salem schools near
SALEM - Layoffs in this city's financially troubled public schools were postponed yesterday, hours before they were to go into effect, as state and local officials put the final touches on emergency legislation to allow Salem to borrow up to $1 million.
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No, not geographically. The fiscal problem they are in the middle of as reported in the two Boston Globe articles (above), we were very close to.
City officials have publicly said that the shortfall was caused in part by a former school business manager who used money from this year's school budget to pay off old bills. This week, at the request of the School Committee, Salem police began investigating Bruce Guy, who is also a former city finance director, to examine whether municipal finance laws were broken. Guy has not responded to the Globe's repeated requests for an interview.What happened there is what did occur here. One prime difference is in the amount of money. The total deficit (at a point in time) in Franklin was $1.5 million. The actual shortfall was $894,000 which was covered by our stabilization fund. Fortunately, that amount was available. Salem was looking for $4.7 million.
Just imagine what would happen to our schools if we were forced to make the cuts they were about to make.
Paying attention to the Franklin's school and town business is a serious matter! Stay informed!
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