This year’s education budget catastrophe appears to have been averted, but Board of Education members Monday braced for the difficult upcoming budget process for 2010-11.
At a special meeting Monday, the board members announced they wouldn’t lay off 70 people this year after all.
The the board approved a $66.5 million budget proposal for next year they dubbed “a working document.”
At a 5.6 percent increase over the current budget, the proposal would still cause several cuts to programs and positions in the school system.
On Monday, several students and residents urged the board to reconsider the program cuts, which include the hockey team and music programs.
The proposal is reviewed, and potentially tweaked, by the Board of Apportionment and Taxation and the Board of Aldermen before going into effect.
No Layoffs This Year
Board chairman Timothy Walsh started the meeting by announcing that the district would not lay off any employees during the 2009-10 school year.
That’s after the board on Dec. 8 approved eliminating almost 70 positions to close its current $700,000 budget deficit.
“At this moment we will have no layoffs come January 15,” Walsh said, to applause from the roughly 100 parents and community members who attended the meeting Monday.
The change comes after schools officials met with union leaders Friday and Monday to negotiate “shared sacrifices” in the form of furlough days.
Teacher union president Deborah Keller said the teachers approved “loaning” the district 1.5 furlough days this year, to be paid back upon retirement or better financial times. The deal guarantees no layoffs this year, Keller said.
“The superintendent and the Board of Education understand we want to be part of the solution,” Keller said. “We want to keep sitting with them. We want to help with the budget next year. We have a different understanding of the schools. We live it. We see it everyday.”
Superintendent Freeman Burr said the other employee unions agreed to the same deal, but the official paperwork hasn’t been signed yet.
The employee give-backs will save about $300,000, Burr said. And the district expects to get some extra money from the city, Burr said.
An Increase, But Still Cuts
The 2010-11 budget proposal would still have program cuts despite a dollar increase of $3.5 million, or 5.6 percent.
That’s because contract obligations continue to increase, and special education costs are expected to go up, at the same that state funding is expected to remain the same or be reduced. (For a thorough explanation of the income problems, see Burr’s statement to school families here.)
Some of the programs that were suggested already were the Shelton High School hockey team, electives and music.
The proposal could also mean larger class size, teacher layoffs and longer bus rides.
Parents who spoke at Monday’s meeting said they were willing to help bring creative ideas to the table.
But they urged board members to avoid making cuts that would affect the arts or support staff such as paraprofessionals.
“The teachers did not put this town in debt,” said student Joseph Linebarger.
Board members said the proposal they approved can rearranged to avoid certain cuts. The board urged parents to remain involved in the budget process to help convince the Board of Aldermen to keep the budget in tact when it hits their board.
