The Derby school board adopted a $17.2 million budget March 19, a 4 percent increase over the current school budget.
The budget will now be reviewed by the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation, also known as the tax board.
The tax board is the elected group that has final say over spending in Derby.
School officials will explain their budget at a public tax board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 in the basement of Derby City Hall at 1 Elizabeth St.
4 Percent Increase, 3.2 Percent Increase Or 2.5 Percent Increase?
The school board unanimously approved a 2015 – 2016 budget totaling $17,260,486.
The current budget is $16,583,979.
The difference between this year’s budget and next year’s is $676,507.
That is budget-to-budget increase of 4 percent.
However, school officials pointed out Thursday that the total $17.2 million budget includes $145,000 in government E‑rate money. That is money the school district pays up front, but gets reimbursed to the city, and then back to the school district.
If one subtracts the E‑rate dollars from the $17.2 million budget, the spending increase is 3.2 percent, district officials pointed out.
Then, of that 3.2 percent spending increase, roughly .7 percent is coming directly from utility bill increases (water, gas, with electricity being the big driver).
Subtract the mushrooming electric bill, and the budget-to-budget increase is 2.5 percent, district administrators said.
The embedded document below is the budget the school board approved. The article continues after the document.
Budget to BOE Final 3 – 19-15 by ValleyIndyDotOrg
‘To Keep The Lights On’
The varying percentages could be confusing, but Superintendent Matthew Conway said he specifically wanted to point out the utility increase. He said the electricity bill alone is growing 31 percent.
“It (utilities) represents $114,000 of our total ask (from the city),” Conway said. “We’re asking for more, but $114,000 of it, .7 percent of what we’re asking for is specifically to keep our lights on. It’s not for books. It’s not for additional positions, but to keep our lights on.”
The school district’s five-year contract for electricity expired during the winter. They couldn’t lock into a new contract during the winter, which subjected them to big United Illuminating charges during the winter for the all-electric Derby High School.
Details
The “professional services” portion of the Derby school budget is increasing 42 percent, or $168,908.
District administrators said the increase is being driven by an “intern program” the district plans to launch. The district will be using education students from area universities as substitute teachers
Combined salaries — teachers, administrators, non-certified positions — in the Derby school district are increasing 1.3 percent, or $150,135 total, according to the budget.
The total money paid to teachers is going up 2.6 percent, while school principals and directors are getting a 2.8 percent raise.
The schools hope to spend an additional $50,835 on athletic supplies, including new uniforms for the high school football team and the cheerleaders.
School board member James Stadt pointed out that the school district relies heavily on state aid to keep the schools operating. In Derby, the state picks up more than 50 percent of the school budget.
Stadt said he wanted city taxpayers to know they aren’t picking up the total $17 million tab.
The district also gets extra funding from the state because it is an “alliance district.” But Derby schools receive the money because they have been officially declared among the lowest performing in Connecticut.
The alliance district money has been used to purchase laptops for hundreds of students and to implement online learning at Derby High School. The district has snagged some $3 million in grant money since Conway arrived.
Conway said there are no new initiatives in the proposed budget. The idea is to build on the programs recently established in Derby, such as the investment in online learning, and Little Raiders University, the district’s new preschool.
“If we keep putting in new initiatives, we never address the initiatives we put in place,” Conway said.
However, the district plans on using some extra state aid to focus on bolstering the curriculum at Derby Middle School.
In the last few years, the district has focused on improving reading and math performance at the two elementary schools, and on incorporating technology into every day learning at the high school. Now it’s time to look at the middle school, Conway said.
Specifically, Conway said an outfit called “Generation Ready“ will be partnering with the school district to bolster learning at the middle school.
