The following is a breakdown of the proposed 2012-2013 school budget as , including recent cuts made by administrators and approved by the board. Comments are included with some items.
Total budget (net):
$34,089,930 (3.27 percent increase from SY 2011-2012)
Budget Reductions:
$102,185 - Special education
The cuts include the reduction of a speech pathologist one day per week ($12,685), out of district transportation ($15,000) and tution ($10,000). Additional savings ($30,000) will be achieved by requiring students that attend the Middlesex Transitional Academy to pay (through tuition) for an occupational therapist, funding of which will offset costs paid by the school district.
"It's a calculated risk," Amy Emory, District 13's pupil personnel director, said of some of the cuts.
$25,000 - Art position (.5 FTE)
"The majority of our art teachers are split between buildings and we had an exception to that rule. We had a full-time teacher at Memorial School and in talking with the administrators we took a look at that position and we looked at pulling the art teacher out of the related arts rotation there and providing some service also to John Lyman School allowing us to hire a part-time person to replace a retiring teacher. That's a schedule we'll have to work out," said Superintendent Susan Viccaro.
$18,343 - Stipends
Stipends were eliminated for clubs or activities that will not be active during the 2012-2013 school year.
$16,000 - Buildings and grounds
$12,000 - Savings from new fuel oil contract
$10,000 - Medical benefits (from reduction of Art teacher)
$9,052 - Electricty reductions (at Coginchaug High School)
$7,052 was reduced by eliminating spending on electricity for the lights at the high school's new field, which are not currently installed.
$8,850 - Various reductions made after recommendations by board member Jeremy Renninghoff. (See attached PDF for recommendations)
$7,996 - Technology
The board's finance committee has recommended restoring this spending item, which would affect the computer labs at Lyman and Brewster schools. Kerrie Flanagan recommended that part of the item be restored by eliminating Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) spending ($4,300). No final decision has been made.
$6,604 - Purchased services (Athletics)
$6,600 - Shipping and handling costs
$6,000 - Legal costs
$5,000 - Curriculum
$5,000 - Copier contract renegotiated
$4,300 - Central Office PD Account
$4,554 - Technology lease reduction
$4,631 - Athletic supplies
$2,000 - Central Office
Reductions by schools: (Principals were asked to reduce their budgets. The following reductions include a variety of items)
$14,234 - Coginchaug
$11,627 - Lyman
$4,795 - Strong
$3,752 - Memorial
$3,350 - Brewster
$2,585 - Korn
Budget Additions:
$39,200 Reading Consultant (At the request of the BOE, the district plans to hire four (4) part-time literacy tutors at the elementary school level)
Additional Revenue:
$53,858 - Funds remaining from the replacement of wells.
$70,803 - Funds reimbursed by the state from the replacement of roofs.
These monies were leftover funds from the $4.99 million bonding package. The finance committe voted in favor of and the board approved the transfer of the funds ($70,803) to the debt balance and ($53,858) to the capital reserve fund.
Editor's Note: Full-day kindergarten, , remains funded under the plan sent to the April 11 public hearing at Coginchaug High School.
