Granby Schools Superintendent Holds Office Hours

Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley spoke to a group of parents about the upcoming budget season during his quarterly office hours at Granby Memorial High on Thursday afternoon.

Among the major topics discussed were the parameters within which the Board of Education was working for the 2012-13 budget cycle.

Specifically, Addley said that the Board of Finance was trying to cap the mill rate increase this year at 2 percent. Accordingly, the school district’s budget would probably include a 1 percent - roughly $274,000 - spending increase to fit within that framework.

New initiatives that the school board is looking to implement next year include a fully integrated preschool, all-day kindergarten, the building out of the wireless computer network at the high school and middle school and an expansion of the World Languages program, as well as the hiring of a new guidance counselor and an elementary consulting teacher.

“Whether you support this or not, we risk losing some things if we don’t have your support,” Addley said.

Preschool is essentially cost-neutral because the school district won’t have to pay for sending special education eligible students to other programs. All-day kindergarten will cost an additional $317,000, though those funds will come from the quality and diversity account that was established to handle the funds the town receives from the Open Choice program.

The expansion of the wireless network was supported by the parents who were in attendance.

“This is the world they live in,” said Danielle Sandridge. “We have to maximize their potential.”

The expansion of the ZippSlip system, homework and the 11th grade AP/Honors English course will also be among the other issues on the radar for the school district in 2012-13, according to Addley.

Parents expressed their concern once again at the decision to eliminate the 11th grade honors English course at the high school, only to see the administration reverse course after fielding complaints.

Parent Kelly Ennis criticized the school administration’s goal to have every student at the high school take an AP course, stating that students who were taking the courses due to outside pressures and were lagging behind would hold back those who really wanted to take the course to begin with.

“I think you do a disservice to both groups,” Ennis said.

Addley, however, disagreed, stating that students needed to be challenged and prepared for college.

Addley invited everyone to the March 7 school board meeting at which the budget would be formally presented to the board.