Schools
Region 14 Board of Education Approves 3.188% Budget Increase
The fourth budget proposal is accepted by a 4:2 vote by the Region 14 Board of Education
Region 14 Interim Business Manager Edward R. Arum and interim Superintendent Dr. Gregory W. Little reduced the budget for the third time at a Board of Education budget hearing Monday night. The Board then approved the budget proposal by a vote of 4:2.
This budget, the fourth draft, is an increase of 3.188% (up $947,698 to $30,670,780) over the 2010-2011 budget. Class sizes stay similar and no classes are cut. The mill rates increase .12% to 21.36 and .832 to 22.282 in Bethlehem and Woodbury respectively. The initial proposal was a 7.17% increase, the second was 4.77, and the third was 3.72.
The approved budget cuts from the previous proposal two elementary teachers ($122,900), Special-Education tuition ($68,800), electricity ($54,700), Special-Ed transportation ($43,000), .4 Nonnewaug High School English teacher ($41,400), homebound instruction ($22,500), and snow plowing ($4,500).
This budget reinstates from the third proposal one Elementary Unified Arts Tech teacher ($61,450), .4 History and .6 Music teacher ($61,450), 2.5 Special-Ed/Kindergarten paraprofessionals and 1 paraprofessional in the library/computer center ($23,624).
Mr. Arum and proponents of other vocational-agriculture programs are lobbying the state for increased funding on the grounds that charter and magnet schools get substantially greater subsidization.
In the past three years, 17 certified staff and 13 non-certified have been cut. This budget adds 1.6 certified and .5 non-certified staff.
The savings on busing from the reinstated K-5 configuration that the Board advocated will come when the current busing contract ends in two years and the Region then bids on a new contract. In the meantime, the $4,200 savings on transportation comes from a decrease of one bus. Mr. Arum said he is looking into further savings on transportation.
Teachers and board members were adamant that any further cuts would jeopardize the students. As a 2nd grade teacher said, ‘it is impossible to have a 0% increase in the budget without hurting the children.’
Nonnewaug Principle Lori Ferreira stated the need to add new courses as college requirements become more demanding. Nonnewaug currently offers no AP social sciences or AP Psychology.
