School Bd Looks For Savings To Meet Budget Goal

By Eliza Hallabeck

The Board of Education’s meeting on Tuesday, March 17, focused on the reduction of the school district’s budget from a 1.74 percent increase over last year’s budget to a 0.23 percent increase. The board unanimously voted to allow the superintendent to send out reduction-in-force notices to 49 nontenured teachers, among other topics covered by the board during its meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson said the practice of sending reduction-in-force notices is a common one in school districts, and the letters do not necessarily mean the teachers receiving them will be let go.

“The law requires that nonrenewals are notified by April 1,” said Dr Robinson. She added that when the decisions are made, people will receive the notification that their jobs have been kept.

“I do feel we need to do this,” said Dr Robinson, referring to sending out the 49 notifications. “Just to protect the school district with how far the cuts go.”

School board Chair Elaine McClure clarified near the end of the board’s meeting that layoffs will mostly likely take place in the kindergarten through sixth grade levels, because of enrollment.

This was the school board’s first meeting since the Board of Finance cut the school district’s budget by a flat $1 million, and Dr Robinson told the board during the meeting that everything in the budget needs to be looked at again.

Dr Robinson said she has been working on thinking of multiple ways to cut back the budget, big and small.

“When you are trying to get to $1 million, you have to look at everything,” she said. She gave one example of a cost saving measure as asking the athletic director to limit the amount of night games on fields so lights do not have to be turned on.

There are not a lot of options facing the school district, Dr Robinson said, and added that people will have to be looked at.

“We have to prepare ourselves with every area in the budget taking a hit,” she said.

Dr Robinson said she has reached out to speak to other districts and share cost-saving ideas.

“We’re not in this alone, but we certainly are one of the first districts to get to this horrible number,” said Dr Robinson. “Very few are down this low.”

As originally proposed by Dr Robinson, the school budget had a 2.73 percent increase. The school board cut that to a 1.73 percent increase before passing it, and now the budget has a 0.23 percent increase from last year’s.

Dr Robinson also said she feels the district is spending a lot of money on transportation.

Ms McClure reminded the board during the meeting that adding money back to the budget is difficult, and it could still be cut further as it moves along the process.

Responding to a morning meeting of superintendents, Dr Robinson then reported to the board that it appears the district will receive $1.058 million dispersed over the next two years that will go to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding. The money cannot be used to supplant, and can only be used to supplement, which she added is normal for IDEA funding.

According to the state, the total cost of projects submitted to Governor M. Jodi Rell from the town totaled $85 million, but those projects are waiting for approval of funding and are not guaranteed.

“[The funds] will come in six checks over the course of the year,” Dr Robinson said, and reminded the board that after two years that money will no longer be there.

During the public participation portions of the meeting the school calendar and transportation were brought up as two topics from individuals.

Newtown Middle School teacher and town resident Claudia Mitchell said she feels the teachers in town did not get a chance to stand up and speak regarding the change to the school calendar for next year.

February break, Veterans’ Day and Columbus Day have been removed from the school calendar to have students start and end school earlier.

“You didn’t get a lot of response,” said Ms Mitchell, “and it was a pretty close call.”

She also said the furlough of six days for teachers, including three half days of student attendance, had not been known about when the calendar survey was released for public response.

Bus owner/operator Phil Carroll said he feels it is disgraceful that the school board is pitting the cost of transportation against the cost of education.

“We welcome another sit-down with the administration,” he said, regarding finding ways to save within the transportation area of the budget.