Education Guide

Shows The Full Picture

To the Editor:

Every budget season, those desiring to reduce the school budget focus on short-term issues instead of looking at the long-term changes within our school system. This year it looks like the rallying cry may be the March 9 Bee headline, “Finance Chair: Taxpayers Need Rational On Staffing Increases As Student Numbers Decline.” This is exactly the kind of statement that motivated me to help create the Newtown Guide to Education. Our website address is https://sites.google.com/site/newtownedbudgetguide.

The chart presented at the Board of Finance meeting showed enrollment and staffing (called Full Time Equivalent, or FTEs) changes from 2000 to 2013, yet the finance board focused on staff changes (FTEs) over only the last five years, which tells only part of the story. We need to look at what happened in the other schools in Newtown and what happened prior to the last five years.

The chart of Enrollment versus Staff FTEs presented at the BOF meeting showed that from 2000 to 2005 Newtown added 552 students, without hiring any additional staff. Not one person! The chart indicates that from 2000 to 2012 Newtown actually added +357 students while we added +19.17 FTEs. I didn’t create this chart; the Board of Education produced it. If you include the projected 2013 budget that is currently being debated, from 2000 to 2013 Newtown will add +268 students and +36.75 FTEs; 16 of the +36.75 FTEs are for full-day kindergarten. Also, these FTE numbers reported at the Board of Finance meeting include custodians, nurses, security, etc., not just teachers.

But please go to our guide, you do the math and see for yourself what really has changed in the last five years. Our guide shows the actual staff and enrollment changes from 2007 to 2011 by personnel.

From 2007 to the 2012 budget, the Elementary Schools lost -371 students, Total Staff lost -23.02. Of these -23.02 FTE staff changes, teachers were reduced -8.89 and Educational Assistants (EAs) were reduced -14.39. Reed Intermediate School lost -33 students, Total Staff lost -13.07. Teaching staff was reduced at Reed by -6.7 teachers and EAs were reduced by -8.95. The middle school lost -19 students, Total Staff added was +4.97. Middle school teaching staff was reduced by -0.7 while adding +5.67 EAs. The high school added +26 students and +23.07 Total Staff, adding +15.82 teachers and +3.68 EAs Overall in the last five years, Newtown enrollment was reduced by -397 students, total staff was reduced by -7.62. Teachers were basically flat at -0.47 and EAs were reduced -13.99. Sounds pretty reasonable when you see the big picture.

Why are we focusing on 23 students in the high school and 25 additional staff? We were last in our DRG in science CAPT scores, 15th of 19 in our DRG math CAPT scores and 12th of 19 in reading and writing CAPT scores. Perhaps our kids need the added help in the high school!

Charles Hepp

4 Winter Ridge Road, Sandy Hook                              March 14, 2012