Ansonia Superintendent Thanks Mayor, Reviews Options On Budget Reductions

FILEEditor’s note: Last week the Valley Indy emailed Ansonia Superintendent Carol Merlone asking how the 2014 – 2015 budget approved by city Aldermen would affect the school district if passed by the tax board. 

The spending plan contained an increase of nearly $1.6 million for the city’s schools, $300,000 less than requested by the school board. Click here to read more about the budget a previous story. Merlone’s response is below.

At this time we have not yet met with our administrative team to analyze which cuts would minimize the impact to student learning and development. The Superintendent’s Budget was originally cut $300,000 prior to sending it to the Board of Aldermen. We will be reviewing all options prior to taking it the Board of Education, and of course they will make the final decision.

I thank Mayor Cassetti and Alderman Vaccaro for reaching out to the schools and really trying to understand the story behind the numbers.

We often hear from disgruntled community members about the Education Budget being the largest. We have in excess of 425 employees which is much larger than all of the departments combined in the city. Contracts, insurance, electricity and fuel costs are big ticket items.

One hundred percent of the increase in our budget was for fixed costs that we have without adding any new programs. The number of students that require special education services takes up 25 percent of our budget. The rising cost for tuition and transportation for out-placed students is uncontrollable.

A reduction of $300,000 in the Education Budget means a direct reduction of current services to students. If the Board of Apportionment and Taxation makes any additional reductions to the Education Budget, it will mean reductions and eliminations of currently offered programs and services.

I ask the public to please realize that as an educational institution we provide the necessary services and benefits to the entire community. We educate all children of Ansonia and employ people from our community to do so. We maintain the facilities and assets which belong to the community as we work with and interact with the families of this community.

Keep local reporting alive. Donate.ValleyIndy.org