Board Of Education Approves Budget; Adopts A Calendar

By Martha Coville

The Board of Education has been busy. In the last two weeks, it has adopted Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson’s proposed budget for the 2008-2009 school year; adopted, after much discussion and public concern, a school calendar; and reached a consensus on how to fix the leaking steam pipe at the Newtown Middle School.

On Thursday, February 7, the board voted unanimously to adopt Dr Robinson’s budget almost unchanged. It cut $193,253 from her proposed budget of $67,124,297. The final budget for the 2008-2009 school year, as approved by the Board of Education, is therefore $66,931,044, a 6.43 percent increase over last year’s operating budget.

Board member David Nanavaty said, “This is the lightest, leanest budget I’ve seen in my four years on the board.”

Dr Robinson said, “It’s a lean budget, but it’s responsible.”

Among the cuts approved by the board were two of the three new school buses requested by Director of Transportation Tony DiLonardo. Board members also declined to approve new equipment for physical education at the middle school and high school, and additional funds for the café at the high school operated by special education students.

However, the 2008-2009 budget also reduced the pay-to-play fees charged to those participating in athletics at the high school. Chairperson Elaine McClure said, “We’ve lowered the fees by $25 per sport, and I think that’s a step in the right direction.” The board indicated that, in the future, they would like to eliminate the fees altogether.

 

A Controversial Calendar

On Thursday, February 14, the Board of Education concluded weeks of discussion about proposed changes to the 2008-2009 school calendar. Thirteen hundred Newtown residents responded to a calendar survey posted on the Board of Education’s website last month.

At board meetings over the last few weeks, the subject of the school calendar dominated public participation. Parents had different concerns: some suggested the school year should end earlier; others wanted it to begin later; many favored lengthening the summer by eliminated or abbreviating February vacation; others insisted on the importance of a winter break.

The one thing parents of Newtown students agreed on was the inadequacy of the survey. They said it did not ask the questions they most wanted to answer, or did not provide them with enough options.

Board member Lillian Bittman concluded, “It was a flawed survey.” She said that the district already faces “mammoth changes” next year as the high school expansion begins. In light of the renovation, she suggested the board adopt a “status quo” calendar, unchanged from the current calendar.

Typically, the board approves a calendar for the upcoming two school years. Ms Bittman suggested that the board approve a calendar for the 2008-2009 school year only. She said that in September, when the students go back to school, the district should send out a more specific “scientific” survey.

The board voted unanimously not to change the calendar for the upcoming school year.

Finally, on February 14, the Board of Education heard a presentation from Brian D. Wetzel, a project manager with the Consulting Engineering Services, Inc, of Middletown. Mr Wetzel’s firm has done previous business with the Newtown school district. School Business Director Ron Bienkowski, said that “Mr Wetzel is familiar with the Newtown Middle School,” and in a good position to recommend how best to replace the leaking steam pipe in the building.

Mr Wetzel presented several options to the board. He and district Superintendent of Building and Grounds Gino Faiella agreed that the most cost-effective solution would not to be to replace the pipe where it lies, buried parallel to the NMS ‘C’ wing, but rather to run the majority of the pipe inside the school. Mr Wetzel said that housing the pipe within the building will give it a longer life. He said his proposal also provides for flexibility, should the middle school need to be renovated in the future. His estimated that rerouting the pipe would cost about $760,000. The Board of Finance recently provided the district with an emergency allocation of $850,000 to replace the pipe.