Lafleur wants closer look at shared school costs

NORTH SMITHFIELD - School Committee Chairman Robert E. Lafleur is asking leaders of the Smithfield, Lincoln and Burrillville school districts to think about sharing personnel and services with each other and North Smithfield.

With state aid continually decreasing, the burden of unfunded state mandates and limits on local support, school officials must develop a fresh perspective regarding school funding, Lafleur says.

"We need to find creative ways, to think outside the box," he says.

One option, he said he feels, is to explore regionalization of educational positions and services to relieve pressure on school budgets.

At Lafleur's behest, the local School Committee unanimously voted at its Oct. 20 meeting to invite together the school officials with a geographic proximity and similar school system characteristics.

Lafleur says the following positions could be regionalized: superintendent, assistant superintendent, technology director, business manager, payroll manager, athletic, facilities and curriculum directors, maintenance personnel, nurse teacher and special education director.

Services that could be regionalized, Lafleur said, include: payroll, accounts payable, human resources, curriculum, maintenance, grounds, transportation, purchasing, health benefits and snow plowing.

Lafleur admits that throughout most of his 28-year tenure on the school board, he's "jealously guarded" North Smithfield's "fiefdom" as an independent school entity.

But in a harsh economic climate of high unemployment and reduced state aid, Lafleur says he's re-examined his position and has come to embrace the prospect of regionalization.

"The economy, and the status of diminishing state aid and local appropriations were the stimulus behind this," he says of his epiphany.

The benefits of regionalization are obvious to Lafleur.

"Does every community need an athletic director, a facilities director? How many grass cutters do we need," he asked in buttressing his position.

Furthermore, state law requires communities to hire schools superintendents, Lafleur continues, but the law doesn't say the superintendent's position has to be full-time.

Why can't several communities share one full-time superintendent, eliminating the need for four superintendents, Lafleur asks.

Another option, he says, is to have one superintendent and several liaisons.

To minimize the impact of layoffs, some positions could be eliminated through attrition, Lafleur said.

Lafleur emphasized he was using the superintendent's post as an example of regionalization's potential for reducing costs and his remarks should not be taken as criticism of local School Superintendent Stephen Lindberg.

"He does a great job," Lafleur said of the superintendent.

Another of regionalization's possibilities, the school board chairman said, could be the streamlining of labor contracts, such as having one regional teacher contract with 15 steps.

Regionalization has already saved local taxpayers a substantial sum, Lafleur said.

By joining a regional health insurance group, school officials have saved $500,000 in health care costs, the chairman points out.

Lafleur believes similar savings could be realized through greater regionalization of jobs and services.

Although he hasn't calculated how much regionalization would save the participating school districts, Lafleur, nevertheless, is convinced regionalization is a "great opportunity for communities to save money."

Lafleur also said he understands that some school districts may consider some positions "sacred cows," but that should not preclude launching a discussion of regionalization.

It is also better, Lafleur believes, for the individual school districts to keep "our fate in our hands" by opening regionalization talks rather than awaiting more state interference in local affairs.

While he doesn't expect regionalization to happen overnight, Lafleur said it is imperative for the involved communities to start talking.

Lafleur admits he's excited about regionalization's potential to save taxpayers money.

"I'm hoping everybody jumps on it," he said.