The Shelton Board of Education Wednesday approved a $64.3 million budget proposal for the 2012 – 2013 budget year.
The proposal — at precisely $64,336,129 — represents a 1 percent, or $636,129 increase in spending over the current year.
Superintendent Freeman Burr had presented the spending plan to the Board of Education last week.
On Wednesday the board voted to send it along to Mayor Mark Lauretti.
Two members of the board — James Orazietti and Jay Francino-Quinn — abstained from voting, according to Board Chairman Win Oppel.
“I didn’t feel that I had enough information,” Francino-Quinn said about his abstaining vote. “I thought we were jumping too quick into it… I want them to show me that we’re really going to get serious about cutting. It’s just the point that everything is status quo. We’re still spending money where we shouldn’t be spending money.”
Oppel said the budget was a fair proposal, and he hoped the city would keep it in tact.
“We were very cautious in our deliberations to balance the continued growth of our district, and what we’ve identified as specific needs for student achievement, with the economic realities that all of us are living within,” Oppel said Thursday.
The budget proposal is reviewed by Lauretti, and passed along to the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, before going for final approval by the Board of Aldermen in May.
Details
The district expects about eight teachers to retire in 2012 – 2013 — which would save about $922,384, according to Burr’s budget presentation on Dec. 7.
However, the remaining teacher and administrator salaries are increasing by about $765,000.
Other increases include health benefits costs and for the transportation contract.
The district also expects to have 120 fewer students next year — which will result in about five fewer teacher positions across the board.
Burr has proposed rearranging the budget from those five positions to help pay for another 2.5 guidance counselors, a media specialist, a physical education teacher, a Gifted and Talented teacher, and a part-time social worker.
One of those guidance counselor positions would be at Perry Hill School, Oppel said.
The district also hopes to add some more tutors, a reading teacher, and technical education teachers through federal grant money, according to Burr’s presentation.
No More Pay To Play?
Another big push in 2012 – 2013 is to phase out the “Pay to Participate” program, which charges students fees to participate in sports and extra curricular activities.
During a budget crunch in 2010, the district implemented the Pay To Participate program.
This year, the district has charged $250,000 in fees.
Next year, board members hope to only collect $125,000 in fees. If that happens, it means less money for the district — but the students could expect to pay half as much in activities fees.
But, Burr said on Dec. 7, if the district gets a zero-percent increase, it won’t be possible to eliminate Pay to Participate because they have to focus on teachers and education programs.
“What kind of school system do we want to have?” Burr said, adding that he likes sports as much as anybody. “Education is about student achievement.”
