School district leaders say athletics will be on the chopping block next year, but haven’t yet decided which sports are up for elimination.
The district will receive $23.9 million for next year, half a million dollars more than last year.
However, the increase is less than half what the district asked for in the recent budgeting process, but is better than the flat-funded budget the district received last year, Superintendent Carol Merlone said at a school board meeting Wednesday.
Part of the delay in establishing the sports cuts comes from the vacancy in the athletic director position.
The vacancy, posted on the Ansonia Public Schools website with an application due date of June 2, has generated substantial interest from applicants both nearby and far-flung, Merlone said.
Once a new athletic director is hired, he or she will be given time to meet with and discuss reductions with coaches, School Board Chairman John Lawlor said.
“It’s integral that the person be on board before we make those cuts,” he said. “Nothing has been named at this point, but we have identified a dollar amount to be taken out of the operational budget. In meantime, we will be working with the new athletic director, once that person is hired, as well as coaches to determine where best to slot those reductions.”
While cuts to athletics are coming, some good news about athletics came out of the school budget meeting Wednesday: high school sports are bringing in substantial amounts of money from their $3 gate receipts, members announced. Gate receipts are going directly to sports programs and means the district can cut about $30,000 from the athletic department with no ill effects on sports programs, they said.
Besides athletics, academics will also be affected by the new school budget, Merlone and Lawlor said.
Three tutors, a custodian and four classroom aides will be cut. Three teachers currently on special assignment will be reassigned to classrooms. An assistant principal who currently oversees alternative education at Ansonia High School will be shared with Ansonia Middle School next year.
Outside of positions, Merlone said each facility has been asked to cut its budget request in half.
“We have to do the best we can, but we need to keep teachers in front of students,” she said.
This is a direct message to Superintendent Carol Merlone, How much of a raise did you get out of that half million? I challenge you to voluntarily give it up… challenge your principals to do the same… Take a look what Griffin hospital did to save jobs…all voluntarily… If you really care about being an educator… show it. you’ll be surprised how many will follow a true leader.
I agree SSDD. Lip-service comes PRICEY, especially in this community. If Mrs. Merlone is a genunine, competent leader of educators as she would like to lead the taxpayers to believe, then, put your money where your mouth is. Because, we, the taxpayers do NOT take threats lightly!!
Every year it is the same old story, we need more money; all we hear is do it for the kids . How about you educators doing something new and all of you top wage earners give a small portion back to the budget, (do it for the kids.) Some of your salaries are way too high, considering the school year is only 180 days,do the math!!!
The problem with Ansonia’s school system is that they are overloaded with administration. The Superintendent has an assistant, they both have secretaries. The Assistant Superintendent has a Secretary, and so on down the line.
The Principals have assistants, and they all have secretaries. Do any of them actually work?
It seems as though in Ansonia all they do is create jobs, and then fill them with their cronies.
No wonder the School Budget is so high!
To Joe Friday; You are right about the all the waste-full spending by the Ansonia Board of Education school system ,another part of the problem is some members of the board of aldermen wives are also teachers, so guess what ?? the tax increase is coming to the taxpayer no matter what is said!!! Simply put they don’t care about the residents of Ansonia,as long as the money goes in thier pockets!!