Members of the Derby Board of Education are examining two, slightly different budgets that could increase spending by either 3.1 or 4.2 percent next year.
One, called a “full-up” budget by officials, totals about $17.4 million, while another “stretch” budget totals about $17.2 million. That’s a difference of roughly $200,000.
The school district’s budget right now totals about $16.5 million.
Mark Izzo, the district’s business manager, walked the school board through the spending plans during a meeting Wednesday.
The school board could choose a budget to vote on the budget March 19, at which point it gets passed to the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation, the local entity that controls spending in the city.
The city’s board of apportionment and taxation is scheduled to look at the proposed school budget 7 p.m. March 31 in Derby City Hall.
What’s The Difference?
For clarity, we’ll call the “full-up” budget the “full” budget.
The “full” budget is about $200,000 more than the “stretch” budget. That is because the “full” budget includes and extra $100,000 for what’s known as “out of district” special education costs, and another $100,000 to continue a laptop/online learning initiative in Derby.
The “out of district” costs in the “full” budget is extra money — about $100,000 — in case the school district receives an additional special education student who must be placed in a school outside the Derby district.
Under the law, local school districts are responsible for paying the tuition for kids in special education who must be taught elsewhere.
Right now there are 20 students being taught out of the district — but the “full” budget allocates money for 21 students.
The “full” budget also includes $100,000 to continue its laptop program, part of the school district’s commitment to online learning.
That $100,000 could be funded by state grant money, but Superintendent Matthew Conway said last year he wants to build the laptop program directly into the district’s budget because of its importance to learning.
Other than those two issues, the “full” budget and the “stretch” budget are the same.
Details
The budget cuts two positions — the assistant superintendent’s position in the central office and a media specialist for the library at Derby Middle School (a vacant position right now anyway).
It adds 3.5 “interns” who will be dedicated substitute teachers. The district plans to team with a university, such as Sacred Heart, which offer intern teacher programs. District officials see this as a way to save and add stability when subs are needed.
The budget also funds the position of business manager, which has previously been paid for from a state grant.
The “full” budget increases school spending by $841,877 from this year to the next.
Combined “certified” salaries are going up $96,106. That includes a 2.9 percent salary increases for central administration, 2.8 percent for school principals and 2.6 percent for teachers.
Combined “non-certified” salaries are growing by $95,029. Within that group — 2.7 percent salary increases for secretaries and a 3.9 percent increase for custodian salaries.
Benefits in the district, which includes things such as medical insurance, workers compensation and unemployment compensation, is growing by $25,893, or 4.7 percent.
The “professional services” line item in the school budget is growing almost 40 percent year over year, but that is because of the new “intern” program the district is launching for $64,050.
Derby schools are facing a steep increase in utility costs — water, electricity and natural gas are increasing a combined 24.7 percent, or $120,767.
Izzo, the district’s business manager, attributed that to the expiration of a five-year electricity contract that had kept costs down.
“That’s happening to school districts all over. It is not just Derby,” Izzo said.
Izzo told the school board 91 percent of the costs in the budget are fixed, or predetermined through contractual agreements. And the 9 percent leftover doesn’t have much fat to trim.
“There’s not a lot of slop in this budget,” Izzo said.
