Multi-Board Meeting Reveals Plans To Budget For Superintendent Search

By John Voket

School Superintendent Janet Robinson told The Bee Wednesday following a multi-board budget information session that she has no plans to leave her position. But she said that $80,000 to $100,000 being requested in next year’s district budget proposal for a superintendent search is justified because the Board of Education opted to not renew Dr Robinson’s contract beyond the current year.

“So if I’m going to leave, they will have to do a search in ‘13-’14,” she said.

Dr Robinson said Business Manager Ron Bienkowski requested that funds be included to pay for the search if it becomes necessary. Under questioning on the request from council Vice Chair Mary Ann Jacob during the session October 17, Mr Bienkowski explained that, if needed, the budget would include the contracting of a “high level” search consultant or firm that would conduct focus groups in the community to come up with a profile on the type of superintendent candidate the community wants or needs.

The business manager said that these executive searches are often regional or nationwide, and the budget is required to place advertising for the position in professional or national publications, as well as covering air fare and lodging costs for candidates who may come to be interviewed from beyond the immediate area.

Board of Education Chair Debbie Leidlein told the council that the $80,000–$100,000 that was proposed for the search was neither requested nor anticipated. Beyond this brief discussion, there appeared to be no bombshells or big surprises during the roughly two-hour segment of the council meeting, which also included Finance Director Robert Tait, members of the Board of Finance, and the entire Board of Selectmen.

Ms Jacob said during the meeting that the purpose of bringing together all the key elected and administrative leaders who collaborate on the town’s $100 million-plus budget was to help the public understand as early as possible in the process what some of the budget priorities are expected to be next year.

The council vice chair cited funding full-day kindergarten as an example of an allocation from the last budget cycle that elicited “resentment” among some factions in town. She also said there was a “lot of talk about hidden money” in the former budget proposal, which took five referenda to pass.

Lack Of Detail

Ms Jacob said many members of the council were also concerned about the lack of detail in the school district’s budget documents during the last deliberation period, adding that a higher level of detail in the upcoming process will prevent taking so much time to clarify points that were not evident in the documentation provided by the district.

With additional details, Ms Jacob said all parties involved would have more time to discuss the philosophies and justifications behind certain requests, and to figure out how to present those expenses to the community in a way that fosters transparency and trust among budget voters.

Ms Leidlein said she had several conversations already with Mr Tait, and that the district will be using the same template for the budget proposal that received high praise from officials last year on the town side of the budget. That template has been provided to the district by the town finance director, and the school board chair said this year’s district budget should closely resemble last year’s townside documentation.

The school board’s request to use the town’s budget template was even built into the superintendent’s goals, Ms Leidlein said.

Further discussing the district’s budget documentation, Ms Jacob said as the process advances, it would be most helpful to see a document that detailed all the initial requests to the school board, building new columns into the document as aspects of the budget are refined. In the past, new documentation was produced for each phase of the budget process, often with no reference points to the originating requests to illustrate how the numbers changed in process.

“The simpler it is, the more people will be able to trust,” Ms Jacob said.

During the presentation, school officials also presented a document showing cost trending for certain high-cost areas of the budget. Finance board member Richard Oparowski was particularly concerned at the escalation of special education costs, which went from $5.5 million in the 2006-07 fiscal year, to more than $8 million in the current budget.

He asked if the district has considered bringing in a consultant who may be able to affect savings.

Close A School?

Councilman Dan Wiedemann asked in view of the significant savings that might be achieved with the closing of a school, whether that process might be fast-tracked for the coming budget cycle. But Ms Leidlein was firm that her board wanted to approach that possibility carefully.

“We want to make sure we do it right,” Ms Leidlein said, adding that she and other district officials are planning to meet with selectmen soon to begin discussing townwide space needs.

Council Education Committee Chair Kathryn Fetchick said during a meeting of her panel that the question of why costs continue to rise as enrollment plummets will continue to be an issue in the coming budget cycle. Ms Fetchick also said her committee has no idea where the district stands on its strategic plan process.

“We need to be sure we are putting money toward the right things,” she said.

Selectman James Gaston asked about any new state mandates the district was facing this year, and Ms Leidlein pointed to new mandated teacher evaluations, which Mr Bienkowski estimated would cost as much as $78,000 to implement.

Responding to a question from Selectman Will Rodgers, Mr Bienkowski said he is anticipating at least a $55,000 increase in student transportation costs before any special education transportation expenses are factored in to the 2013-14 request.

Two other big ticket expenses provided in the presentation were more than a half-million dollars for technology upgrades and replacements, and about $1 million for facility maintenance and improvements. Mr Bienkowski said both of those programs were deferred in the current budget, and it was creating a need to double-up the cost in the coming year to catch up.

Municipal Projections

On the town side, First Selectman Pat Llodra said it was very early to be projecting figures, but maintaining a “same services” budget for the next fiscal year would likely require at least a 1.52 percent increase. She said there are still three municipal bargaining units waiting to negotiate new contracts this year.

Mrs Llodra said that the town could only base early estimates of self-insured medical benefit costs on the current year’s experiences, which could change significantly based on future claims. In terms of revenues, Mr Tait said he is hoping to see little or no decrease in state education and other grants to the town.

The finance director also reminded the officials that budgeting to bring the town’s fund balance up to an acceptable level on par with other communities similar to Newtown would be part of the townside request next year.

Responding to a question about tax collections from finance board Chairman John Kortze, Mr Tait said that immediate tax collections this year were down about $52,000 from what was budgeted, and that delinquent collections were down around $200,000. Mrs Llodra said she is not anticipating any significant grand list growth in the current year that could boost revenues in the next budget.