Five months and three referendums after Seymour’s school board first voted on a budget for 2013 – 2014, members on Monday finalized a spending plan for next year that keeps most of the new proposals they first envisioned in place.
The board did vote not to fund one of two new teaching positions at the middle school, but other proposals — like a late bus for students participating in after school activities and four part-time elementary-level paraprofessionals — remained.
School officials said that’s mainly because so many of the district’s employees signed up for a lower-cost, higher-deductible health plan rolled out this year.
Background
On June 6 residents approved a $30,942,984 school budget for next year by a margin of nearly 200 votes.
It was the third referendum for the school budget, which as initially proposed in January totaled $31,113,985.
Before the first referendum, that number was trimmed by $61,500 due to insurance savings.
After the referendum defeats, the town’s Board of Finance cut the school budget proposal by $75,000 and then by $35,000.
Health Insurance Savings
The spending plan as approved by voters reflects a $544,958, or 1.79 percent, increase in spending year over year.
Board members on Monday voted to unanimously to adjust next year’s budget in line with recommendations outlined to them by Superintendent Christine Syriac.
Monday’s budget discussion, which wrapped up after less than a half-hour, was a far cry from last year, when the board debated for hours about how to cut $357,000 from their original proposal after three referendum defeats.
The biggest change to the budget made Monday was a $158,514 reduction in health insurance costs, due mostly to so many employees signing up for low-cost, high-deductible health savings accounts.
Assistant Superintendent Rick Belden said Monday that when school officials were putting the budget together, they anticipated about 12 to 14 of the district’s employees taking part in the new plan.
When the numbers came in this month, 93 had signed up.
“That’s almost unheard of,” Belden said.
Still, he warned board members not to expect similar windfalls in the future.
“Next year we will not be sitting here looking at this magnitude of savings,” he said. “People will be moving in and out, but not significant movement.”
Board member Jennifer Magri agreed.
“This will be a one-time thing, but thankfully it’s a one-time thing this year, that helps us,” she said.
Other Changes
The only new spending proposed for next year to get the ax Monday was $48,300 for a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) teacher at the middle school. (The $48,300 figure represents the salary estimated for the position; including benefits, savings from eliminating the position total $63,384)
Syriac told the school board Monday that cutting only one of two new teachers at the middle school will help keep growing class sizes down.
She also said that when budget time rolls around next year she’ll probably again ask for two new teachers at the middle school to address growing class sizes.
Other reductions the board agreed to Monday were:
- $35,875 for electricity costs
- $6,529 for adult education
- $3,755 for liability insurance
The adjustments made Monday also reflect increases to a number of line items from the original budget proposal:
- $34,190 for Social Security and Medicare costs
- $19,248 for property insurance
- $26,221 for regular education tuition
- $14,000 for custodial supplies
- $43,125 for heating fuel
- $6,688 for bus fuel
Reaction
Board members approved Syriac’s proposed changes without much discussion Monday.
Vice Chairman Fred Stanek, who presided over Monday’s meeting because Chairman Yashu Putorti was out of town on business, called the budget “very viable.”
After the meeting he said the last-minute health insurance savings was “wonderful,” and that the budget gets a lot done “without overburdening the town’s finances.”
He thanked voters for approving the budget at this month’s referendum, but wished they had been as receptive the first time the spending plan came up for a vote.
“We’ll try to add that teacher next year,” he said.
One resident, Melissa Chambal, spoke during Monday’s meeting. She asked the board to keep funding for a late bus in the budget, and said her daughter, Jessica, who will be a freshman in high school next year, missed out on opportunities to participate in activities in middle school because no late bus was available.
Chambal said after the meeting she was glad the board kept the money for the additional bus, $50,746, in the budget.
