Superintendent’s Proposed Budget Delivered To A Full House

By Eliza Hallabeck

Only a few front and second row seats in Newtown High School’s Lecture Hall remained unclaimed on Tuesday, January 26, as community members, students, and school district faculty and staff gathered to hear Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson present the 2010-2011 Superintendent’s Proposed Budget.

Dr Robinson spent roughly half-an-hour reviewing the 2010-2011 budget, which proposes a 4.94 percent increase from last year’s budget.

Contained within the proposed budget is a reduction of 17 positions at the kindergarten through middle school levels, the elimination of the director of transportation position, and an increase of eight positions at the high school level. (An audio recording of Dr Robinson’s presentation, and the following public participation, is available online at www.newtownbee.com.)

On Thursday, Dr Robinson said with the director of transportation position gone, “We’ll have to re-shuffle things.”

After school programs at Reed Intermediate School and Newtown Middle School, except those that are self-supporting, are also proposed for elimination within the budget.

“What you are going to hear tonight is the budget she has created with the input of her principals,” said Board of Education Chair Lillian Bittman.

Ms Bittman explained over the next couple weeks, the school board will look through the proposed budget, and “there are always changes that are made at our level, for various reasons.”

“This is the beginning of a very long process,” Ms Bittman said, “and I am happy you are all here tonight.”

Dr Robinson agreed, saying seeing so many people interested in the budget was a pleasure.

Looking back on the process that created the current budget, Dr Robinson said last year the proposed budget began as a 2.73 percent increase, and ended being passed as a 0.43 percent increase over the previous year’s budget.

After emphasizing the need to advocate for what is best for the students, Dr Robinson said the budget was created with sensitivity to the needs of the community.

“It is also our responsibility to come up with a budget that enables all students to learn well,” she said.

Key budget drivers this year, as Dr Robinson listed them, included an unprecedented national economic downturn, contractual obligations, energy costs, transportation, health insurance, and decreased state funding.

“Our transportation costs are high,” she said. “They are among the highest in the state, but we have over 60 square miles to cover.”

When the school board renews its contract in 19 months, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has reported its estimated increase at 23.9 percent, but Dr Robinson said she budgeted a 15 percent increase due to expectations.

“Our teachers have borne most of the impact from the economy,” said Dr Robinson, adding the teachers in the district negotiated no increase for this year.

While saying positions in the schools being cut are a point the school board will discuss when it goes through the budget, Dr Robinson said, “There is no one that does not provide service to our children.”

Dr Robinson said she reduced the requested principals’ budget by $1,712,726; as requested by district principals, the budget had a 7.53 percent increase over last year’s budget.

“We have worked hard to get reductions with a minimum impact,” said Dr Robinson.

During public participation, Dr Robinson responded to concern regarding the elimination of after-school programs at Reed and NMS from resident Kinga Walsh.

With students active in the community, Dr Robinson said it is not easy to justify eliminating programs.

“If there is a choice between cutting a teacher and cutting the after school programs, it is going to be the after school programs,” said Dr Robinson.

NMS family and consumer science teacher Rose Ann Beck, whose class and position are proposed for elimination in the budget, spoke, saying the class teaches students 21st Century skills, along with healthy eating practices and more.

“I try to combat the media pressures that all young teens feel,” she said. Adding later, “And maybe, navigating adolescence will be a little less difficult if you continue the program.”

Dr Robinson said there will be an elimination of something, and used the removal of Project Adventure at Reed in order to keep it at the middle school as an example.

“These are very hard decisions,” Dr Robinson said.

NMS music teacher Mark Mahoney spoke both as a school district employee and as a Bethel father who pays tuition to send his child to the Newtown school system. He has been working in the district for 12 years, and told the school board he “honestly believed I was working in a school district I could be proud to work in.”

As advisor to the Jazz Band after school program, Mr Mahoney said the Jazz Band earns students roughly $10,000 in scholarships each year.

“I understand, and I support the fact that positions come first,” he said, “and I just wanted to put faces to the students who are going to be directly affected by the cuts.”

Chris House, a junior at Newtown High School, said the number of students interested in school are dwindling.

“It is amazing how many students just are not interested,” said Chris. “And if you cut these after school programs it is just going to make it worse. I just wanted to take a statistic and make it real. It is a real deal.”

The school board is scheduled for budget meetings on Thursday, January 28, at 7:30 pm, at the Newtown Municipal Center; Tuesday, February 2, at 7:30 at the Newtown Municipal Center; and its final budget meeting is set for Thursday, February 4, at 7:30 in the Reed Intermediate School Library.