By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Five million dollars separates Auburn’s school department and a local tax reform group.

School officials say they need a $2 million increase in their annual budget. They blame state mandates, wage increases and rising costs.

But members of the United Citizens of Auburn want the school budget cut by $3 million and they’re gearing up for a fight.

“If you want to do anything at all in this city, you have to look at the biggest piece of the pie,” said Walter Reed, an Auburn computer developer and vice chairman of the group. “Simply put, that’s the school department. You’re not going to reduce government spending if you don’t reduce spending there.”

The School Committee begins reviewing its budget at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Reed says his group will be there.

“In the past, they haven’t gotten a lot of public scrutiny,” Reed said. School officials are used to talking about curriculum and school policies, not budgets. That has to change, he said.

“They just spend too much,” Reed said.

School Committee Member David Das disputes that.

“Our approach all along has been to create a fiscally sound system that’s good for the students,” Das said. Property taxes devoted to education have increased by 2.5 percent per year for the last few years. That’s a modest price to pay, he said.

“All along, inflation has gone up more than that,” he said. “At the same time, we have brand-new challenges facing the schools.”

That includes state mandates, such as a requirement to teach foreign languages in kindergarten through grade 12. Currently, foreign language classes begin in eighth grade.

“That’s just one example, and there are many more,” Das said. “Our challenge is keep the quality of our education at the same level as last year, even as costs keep going up.”

More scrutiny?

Last year, the school department budget was $31.4 million, 51 percent of the overall city budget. Of that, $15.5 million came from property taxes. This year, they are asking for $33.6 million overall.

They can do better, Reed said.

“Our goal is for them to have $1.5 million less from property taxes,” Reed said. That will mean taking less from the state government as well.

“People talk like that’s money from heaven, but it’s really our tax money, as well,” Reed said. “We pay the state taxes that end up going into that budget.”

It will mean belt-tightening, Reed said, but it shouldn’t hurt education.

“In our mind, they just need to focus on educating kids,” he said. Everything else, from owning non-school buildings to full-day kindergarten programs, should be cut.

“It sounds wonderful, that we need to provide the best education possible,” Reed said. “But what if we can’t afford it? We’re not a rich community and we can’t afford the schools you find in a rich community.”

The tax reform group formed last fall after the city assessor began mailing tax revaluation notices to taxpayers. United Citizens members have been fixtures in City Council chambers ever since, as councilors and city staff work on the municipal budget.

The schools will get the same scrutiny.

“The school people feel they’re doing the right things,” Reed said. “I just think they haven’t heard from many citizens. That’s going to start.”

Das disputed that, too.

“We hear from people all the time, from parents and grandparents who want to make sure their children are getting a good education,” he said. “And they do attend our meetings. They haven’t been as vocal lately, but they are concerned.”

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