At the March 7 Board of Education meeting, the BOE acquiesced to the pleas of the Lacrosse crowd present and decided to add $240,000 to the school budget request that will go to the city’s Board of Finance. The extra money requested would be used to fund a Lacrosse program as well as provide for general music at CHMS and NEMS next year (but not the K-8’s). The BOE then encouraged teachers and Lacrosse proponents to attend the next Board of Finance meeting on March 29.
The entire story can be read here.
The Board of Finance and City Council are unlikely to grant this request for additional funds due to the state MInimum Budget Requirement (MBR) law, which prevents a city from decreasing the school budget. They must either keep funds level or increase them.
Bristol Federation of Teachers 
Why is it costing ADDITIONAL money in the budget to keep the middle school music program we presently have?
When they made the initial budget proposal for 2012-2013, no funds were allocated for general music because the intention was to eliminate it completely. If they now want to include these 2 general music positions, they need to add the cost (salary and benefits) into the revised budget request.
As to why the BOE budget increases each year, it is simply that the cost of everything increases: energy, insurance, etc.
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