East Granby School Board Discusses Budget Reduction

The East Granby Board of Education at its regular meeting on Monday discussed the direction from the Board of Finance to reduce its request for a 5.3 percent spending increase over current levels to 4.9 percent.

The school board requested a $14.31 million budget, representing a 5.3 percent spending increase. The .4 percent reduction - or $55,000 - would bring the budget in at $14.26 million, school board Chairman Kirby Huget said in a telephone interview.

“The sentiment was [the 4.9 percent increase] wasn’t what we thought was necessary for the programming needed and for its delivery, but it was a fair starting point,” Huget said.

Huget said that the school board also discussed the presentation it will give at the Town Meeting on April 3.

The school board, for its part, was unanimous in its appreciation for the parents and residents who turned out at the last finance board meeting to support the schools budget “and encourage the Board of Finance to listen to the Board of Education’s needs,” Huget said.

To reach the finance board’s direction, the school board authorized Superintendent of Schools Christine Mahoney to send out notices to employees whose positions could be impacted by potential reductions.

Huget said no discussion was made on fully eliminating positions, but that reductions in FTEs were possible.

In other business, the school board set the last day of school for June 20.