Clarksburg Sets School Budget at $2.355M
 The school and town officials met Wednesday to discuss the school budget and other town warrant articles. |
The figure is down from last week, when school officials were encouraged to cut back a budget that would have added more than a dollar to the tax rate. Selectmen and Finance Committee members had warned school officials that their budget could fall at town meeting.
School Committe member Jeffrey Levanos and Superintendent of Schools Jonathon Lev presented a budget of $2,359,200 at Wednesday's joint meeting with the Selectmen and Finance Committee. Lev said the new spending plan included numerous cutbacks.
"I like this number a lot better than last week's," said Selectman Carl McKinney.
Among the items pushing the school budget up is the placement of two students with special needs to the Housatonic Academy. One student has been enrolled and another started last week, said Lev, in defending the line item estimate of $240,000.
"I hope I way overestimated but I don't believe I did and I underestimated two years ago and got in trouble," said Lev. "Seriously, I would love to not to have to spend $240,000; I would love not to have to cut a teacher's assistant, cut music time, Spanish time."
Finance Committee Chairwoman Mary Beverly said she understood the difficulty. "I really appreciate this sentiment," she said — then asked if they could come up with $4,200 more in cuts to bring the budget to $2,355,000.
The Finance Committee was given a petition signed by 77 Clarksburg residents stating they wanted the school budget level-funded at this year's $2,314,038, she said. "I have no idea where it came from."
"I think it's because there are so many people who haven't got raises or some people got laid off or their spouses got laid off and let's face it, they're all in a bind," said Selectwoman Lily Kuzia.
Levanos said the school could probably come up with 77 signatures in support and Beverly agreed, but noted that wasn't the petition in her hand. However, she said she could not push for level funding.
"I can't conscionably do that," said Beverly. "I appreciate the sentiment and everyone of these people have a voice and they've said it ... but I don't believe it will meet your net school spending if we don't give you $14,000 over minimum."
Both Beverly and Kuzia believed that the petitioners were looking for some movement in the $2.4 million budget presented last week, which school officials had done. Finance Committee member Paula Wells urged school officials to get more creative.
"You always say that the Clarksburg School is the gem of the town and people will move out of here if there isn't a good school," she said. "I might remind you that Williams College froze faculty and staff wages and we were told to cut our budget 10 or 15 percent ... they didn't care how we did it. ... We got very creative and I don't understand why the school can't get really creative without cutting programs. .. I don't know why that can't happen."
Lev said he approached the teachers' union about reopening the contract or other possibilities.
"I got a letter back saying that they met a few times and they would have some questions — they're on vacation this week and they would need more time," he said. "So I didn't get a no and I didn't get a yes ... just that they need more time."
Lev and Levanos agreed to $2,355,000; the full School Committee will have to vote on the number.
The school budget is $40,000 over minimum education spending. Beverly pointed out that the state's minimum spending formula does not include required items such as professional training.
"The people should know that the $2,314,000 was $30,000 over minimum spending in fiscal 2011; the amount we just gave them, $2,355,000 is $40,000 over miminum spending," she said. "So we really only gave them $10,000 more ... you have to meet the minimum spending formula."
Town Administrator Michael Canales calculated the school budget would add about 33 cents to the tax rate, which is currently $11.11 per $1,000 valuation. That would mean $55 more in property taxes for the average homeowner.
