Schools Budget Workshop Thursday Focused On Staffing

An abbreviated Stonington Board of Education meeting Thursday focused the budget discussion on staffing.

At least one board member suggested perhaps members should first talk about whittling away at the $33.26 million budget presented by Stonington Schools Superintendent Leanne Masterjoseph last week. The 2012-2013 budget represents a 4.1 percent increase over last year’s spending plan.

“…all the people, all the programs are great, but are we comfortable bringing that number to the Board of Finance,” Alisa Morrison asked.

Board chair Gail MacDonald said she was comfortable discussing staffing Thursday, saying she had, “as a courtesy,” spoken to Finance Board Chairman Glenn Frishman.

“The reality is we know if the BOE puts forth [the budget] unchanged, the [board of finance] will cut,” MacDonald said.

And so the discussion focused on the increases—and decreases—in staff, based on class size and enrollment projections. Kindergarten class size is targeted at less than 20 students per room, grades 1 and 2 would have 20, grades 3 and 4 at 20 to 23 students, grades 5 through 8 at 23 to 25 and high school classes targeted at 28 to 30 students in each class.

At , 15 additional paraprofessional hours are being requested to assist with state-mandated Student Success Plan (SSP) portfolios and a .6 language instructor to teach French and .

At , there will be less staff: one less teacher in sixth grade and 32 less paraprofessional hours in music.

staffing remains the same.

At there will be 1.5 less instructors.

remains the same.

At there will be an additional 2.5 lunchroom aides and one less instructor in grade 2.

District-wide, one-full-time information technology professional is being requested, and in special education and student services, the budget calls for a .4 psychologist and an additional 108 of paraprofessional hours.

There was limited discussion save for staffing clarification.

“But we have two more budget workshops,” MacDonald said. Next Thursday “new programming is slated to be discussed. “I’ll want justification on why things are in there and why things are not.”

And she wasn’t alone.

“Summer Academy at the high school,” member Frank Todisco said. “I need a lot more explanation about that.”

The next budget workshop is scheduled for Thursday Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. in the SHS Commons.