ORANGE — The savings the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District accrues as a result of closure to limit the spread of COVID-19 could be used to defray next year’s expenses, though it is unknown what those figures will be.
Administrator of Finance Michele Tontodonato said the middle/high school has been using less energy over the past month and a half, and in early April, the school district negotiated a deal with Swift River Bus Co., its bus contractor, to save money.
The school district has a 10-month contract with the bus company for the academic year, and worked out new terms for April, May and June. Tontodonato said the annual contract is for $600,000, or $60,000 a month. The new agreement, by contrast, will save the district about 50 percent of the cost for the three months, coming out to $90,000 in savings.
“We try to save every penny here,” Tontodonato said, adding that any effect the school district’s savings might have on the tax rate in Orange will likely be minimal because all staff members and faculty are still being paid as they are working remotely.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week that all Massachusetts public and private schools will remain closed through the end of the academic year.
However, Tontodonato said no employees have been laid off or furloughed, and there have been no cuts to pay or benefits.
“What we have is everybody working,” she said.
Tontodonato said the only people still working on-site are some food service employees, who are providing meals to children, and facilities workers, who are continuously cleaning and disinfecting the building. She said Facilities Director Tom Bates has turned down the heat and the giant reduction in people in the building has saved money on electricity because the lights are motion-activated.
Tontodonato said money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2.2 trillion stimulus package, is expected to provide $214 million to be divided among Massachusetts schools that serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade. A caveat to receiving funding is the requirement that vendors, such as the bus company, continue to be paid in some way.
Tontodanto is in her first year as the school district’s administrator of finance, having come from working 17 years for Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough. She said the pandemic has provided a significant learning curve.
“We’re all figuring this out together,” she said.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.