2.99 Percent Increase—

School Board Approves 2011-12 Budget

By Eliza Hallabeck

After four budget meetings and one public hearing, the Board of Education adopted its 2011-12 budget Tuesday, February 8, for a total of $69,201,017, a 2.99 percent increase over the district’s current spending package.

The $69,201,017 Board of Education-approved budget is less than both 2011-12 budget options presented by  Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson on January 25, which included a scenario to hold the school district at an outlined “status quo” budget, which would represent a 3.68 percent budget increase, and a scenario to move the district forward, which would represent a 5.76 percent increase over the current budget.

The 2010-11 school budget was $67,194,734, and Dr Robinson’s recommended 2011-12 budget is $71,064,134, reflecting the higher increase. To have schools remain at a “status quo” budget, which the superintendent defined as not adding new programs or features, the cost would be $69,670,343, a 3.68 percent hike in spending.

As outlined for the school board at the preliminary meeting on the school district’s budget, the recommended $71,064,134 budget would include what Dr Robinson said are “urgent needs,” including a full-day kindergarten; an increase of high school staff to meet student needs at the high school; restoring the technology budget, estimated at $169,300; and restoring maintenance costs to the budget, for $573,500.

The Board of Education reviewed items within the status quo budget on Tuesday before looking at individual items in Dr Robinson’s recommended budget.

One of those recommendations, implementing full-day kindergarten in the school district for next year,  was unanimously opposed, and only two of the multiple new hires Dr Robinson recommended for the high school were accepted into the budget.

“I really think that with this year, the high school is where we have to start putting our money,” said board member David Nanavaty.

Multiple board members expressed support for eventually implementing full-day kindergarten, but, as Mr Hart said, the economic situation is not yet right.

“I strongly support it for next year,” Mr Hart said.

Through various motions the school board looked into different staffing options at the high school. As requested by Newtown High School Principal Charles Dumais and presented to the school board by Dr Robinson, the staff recommendations for the high school next year were an assistant principal, an English teacher, a math teacher, a history teacher, a shared secretary position, a part-time math teacher for the FLEX program, and a part-time English language instructor, which is an unfunded mandate according to Dr Robinson. The staff increases, she said, would help alleviate shortages of class offerings and prepare the school for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges recommendations.

Board member Richard Gaines said he would prefer to add the “entire package” of high school staff recommendations to the budget, and would prefer 2.5 teaching positions to accepting the assistant principal position into the budget.

Ms Bittman said she agreed, but reminded Mr Gaines that NHS principal Charles Dumais has named both a social studies teacher and the assistant principal position as priorities.

Both the social studies position and the assistant principal position were added to the budget, temporarily hiking the expected budget increase to 3.11 percent.

Acknowledging some of the board members’ hope to keep the school district’s budget at a three percent increase, Dr Robinson said she expected one teaching position, an inclusion teacher, in the special education department to be open at the end of this school year. She offered to allow that position to remain open in next year’s budget to keep the budget at a 2.99 percent increase.

“This is not about education anymore,” said Mr Gaines. “It’s about finance and dollars.”

Mr Hart also said he expected the school board to be able to use $150,000 set aside for the school board by the town in a capital nonrecurring account, and that money could offset the budget in the future.

The board voted against using that money in the budget now, but, in response to a question by Ms Bittman, Mr Hart said using the money could still happen in the future once more information is known regarding the procedure for the board to access the account.

From here, the school board’s budget will go before the Board of Finance and Legislative Council for deliberation and approval.

Hart And Robinson     Look Back

Looking back on the school board’s budget process on Wednesday, February 9, Mr Hart said he, too, would have preferred to add the entire high school staffing package and full-day kindergarten into the budget, but thinks the board’s approved budget is a compromise between giving the district what it needs to move forward and financial responsibility.

“From a process standpoint I am pretty happy,” he said. “The interaction at the meetings was all very positive. I think all the members on the board had a good opportunity to ask questions and push forward the points they wanted to push.”

Mr Hart said he feels comfortable his board took a hard look at the budget  over the course of the four budget meetings and one public hearing.

During his first budget season as chair of the school board, Mr Hart also oversaw a new way of reporting the school budget. As presented, Dr Robinson’s budget had two parts to it, a status quo budget and what she calls “urgent needs” for the district.

Mr Hart said it is important for people to understand Dr Robinson’s status quo budget was a budget designed to keep the school district running as it ran in the 2010-11 school year. The added items, like full-day kindergarten, were reported outside of the status quo budget,  and that, he said, made it easier for the school board to prioritize and filter out items within the budget.

Looking forward, Dr Robinson said, “Well, I certainly will be back with [full-day kindergarten] for next year.”

Dr Robinson also said she will continue the process of reporting urgent needs to the school board next year.

“I think you will see my urgent list back again,” said Dr Robinson, “because as we continue to put off deferred maintenance, that is just going to keep coming back to haunt us.”

Mr Hart said he feels the school board took a hard look at the budget and examined all the objects within it. Holding the public hearing before the school board finalized the 2011-12 budget, he said, was also a nice addition to the budget process.

Moving forward, both Dr Robinson and Mr Hart said they plan to do the best job possible presenting the BOE-adopted budget first before the Board of Finance during a scheduled meeting on February 24, and second before the Legislative Council.

As the school budget evolves, Dr Robinson said she will be updating information at the school district’s website, www.newtown.k12.ct.us, to reflect those changes.

(To read articles on the Board of Education’s budget meetings held on Thursday, February 3, and Monday, February 7, visit NewtownBee.com. Full audio of each meeting is also linked to the meeting’s accompanying story. Documents and video associated with the school board’s budget can also be found in The Bee’s online “Follow The Money” section.)