School Board Approves $250,000 In Budget Adjustments

By Larisa Lytwyn

In a marked contrast from last spring’s twice-rejected referendums, this year’s town budget passed on its first try on April 27 to the relief of school supporters.

On March 10, the Board of Finance cut the $53,368,457 education budget adopted by the school board a month earlier by approximately $250,000, and a budget defeat at the polls would likely have meant even more cuts in school expenditures in 2004-2005.

The Board of Education met May 4 to unanimously approved Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff’s adjustments to comply with the $250,000 cut to its originally proposed budget.

“This year is a big difference from last year,” noted a smiling Elaine McClure, school board chair.

The board broke into applause.

Dr Pitkoff’s adjustments are comprised of $318,279 in reductions and $68,260 in increases, totaling $250,000.

Major reductions include an estimated $47,167 savings through staff turnover due to a number of projected retirements and maternity leaves, as well as $97,330 in medical benefits.

Through ongoing negotiations between the school board and Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the cost of providing medical benefits has dropped from the numbers originally proposed early in the budget process.

Other reductions were made through a decrease in substitute teaching and educational assistant hours, totaling $6,000 and $4,000, respectively.

A bid to use surplus funds in the current 2003-04 budget to pay for a Newtown Middle School chair lift for handicapped students eliminates $43,440 from the 2004-05 budget.

In addition, lower-than-expected electricity costs at Reed Intermediate School allowed Dr Pitkoff to trim $31,088 from the amount originally budgeted.

While the town’s pupil personnel services have successfully brought back several special education students back into the district, lowering transportation and related costs, Dr Pitkoff considered expending additional funds to assure returning students optimal services.

The 2004-05 adjustments thus include an additional $35,031 in educational training services and $16,000 in technological and curricular professional development programming.

Dr Pitkoff reflected on the various advantages of having the budget pass on its first go-round.

“We will be able to do our hiring a bit earlier than some of our neighboring districts still in the process of having their budgets approved,” he said. “Now we will have the opportunity to get the cream of the crop!”

He later thanked several parents, including Keith Jacobs of grassroots organization Save Our Schools, Sarah Beier, Michelle Hankin, and Joan Plouffe, who were dedicated to passing the budget on its first try.

While Ms Beier said she did not want to dampen “the celebratory mood,” she appealed to board members to consider restoring programs cut in the 2003-04 budget.

She added, “While I did not attend the recent substance abuse forum hosted by Parent Connection, I believe we need to consider having more guidance counselors at Reed Intermediate and Newtown Middle School.”

Hearing about the young age at which many students now, statistically, begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol concerned her greatly, she said.

She also encouraged increasing the level of challenge in certain enrichment programs.

“I am not even talking about the [gifted] program,” she said, “but students who excel in certain areas, such as science and math.”

Ms Hankin concurred, referring to the budget as “very lean.”

Like Ms Beier, she asked the board to consider reinstating programs cut from the 2003-04 budget, such as the fourth-grade orchestra program.