Members of the Derby tax board got their first glance at a proposed $16.1 million school district budget Tuesday that carries a 4 percent spending increase.
The percent increase is about .5 percent lower than the figure discussed last week. That’s because the school district wasn’t counting about $90,000 the city allocated after last year’s final budget was adopted, Superintendent Stephen Tracy said.
With those dollars taken into account, the proposed school budget for 2012 – 2013 carries a $620,996 increase over the current budget.
In Derby, the tax board (formal name — Board of Apportionment and Taxation), ultimately decides how much money to allocate to the city government and the school district.
The tax board is considering department funding requests throughout March.
The proposed school budget increase, school officials told the tax board Tuesday, breaks down as follows:
- $25,000 to start funding some initiatives described in the school district’s recently adopted strategic plan
- $30,000 to improve primary reading
- $50,000 to hire a high school reading specialist
- $150,000 to hire teachers for “transition classes” to help struggling students in the elementary and middle schools
- $65,000 for a special education learning center at the middle school. This expense is to offset because it means that some Derby children in special education who are currently taught outside the school district will be able to be taught within the school district at a lesser expense.
- $24,000 to restore a security aide at the middle school
- $4,000 to implement a state-mandated, “success planning” program for students
The numbers above total $498,000.
The rest of the increase wasn’t detailed in precise dollar amounts, but includes:
- Raises for teachers and administrators (coming off years when they did not receive raises)
- The second year of an early retirement buyout program (8 teachers opted for it last year — another 5 teachers will use it this year)
- Transportation
- A “half” time teacher for special education speech and language
- Tuition and transportation costs for educating special education students outside of Derby
The school board also made the tax board aware of major repairs needed in the district — $9.9 million worth of repairs, ranging from roof replacements to asbestos abatement.
Tax board members asked a few questions. Judy Szewczyk wanted more detailed information on the other costs Tracy mentioned. Szewczyk also wanted to know how the new hires proposed in the school budget — about nine positions — would affect medical benefits.
Tracy explained that since school employee benefits were transferred to the city side of the budget last year, he was not sure what the financial impact would be since the city now manages the health plan.
Tax board chairman James Butler said he’s hearing state funding — specifically the state’s education cost sharing grant — will be delivering $280,000 to Derby this year, which could, potentially, give the city some breathing room.
Gov. Dan Malloy has pegged an additional $50 million in ECS funding. Read more at CT News Junkie.
“We’re hopeful,” Tracy said. “People seem to be positively inclined to this.”