BoE Budget Talks Begin, but Draw Few

Wilton saw a small turnout of about 30 people during last night’s Board of Education (BoE) public meeting in which the BoE’s 2.59-percent budget increase for the 2012-2013 fiscal year was presented to Wiltonians by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gary Richards.

In short, the BoE is asking for a budget increase of $1,888,392, and while those who spoke had concerns, there were no direct outcries against the proposal.

Salaries take up the largest chunk, at 59.4-percent of the proposed budget. Employee benefits make up 20-percent, supplies and equipment are 11.2-percent, 4.5-percent is needed for transportation, buildings operations & facilities are 3.9-percent, and the cost of substitute teachers is one-percent.

Out of the proposed $74,660,000 budget, classroom teacher salaries would take up $23,366,519, or 33.1-percent of the proposal, an increase of just .4-percent which is due to the , something Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gary Richards called a cost-containment effort. Staffing will increase by two FTE employees, said Richards.

Class sizes reaching the limit

For some grades, Richards said  “We’re barely staying within [average] class sizes,” within some grades and close to maxing out in grades 3, 4 and 5 (see chart below. Information provided by the BoE.)

2012-213 K-12 Projected Class Size

Total

Sections

Students

Class Size

 Goal

K

14

 270

19.3

18-20

1

15

 288

19.2

18-20

2

15

 318

 21.2

 20-22

3

13

 285

 21.9

 20-22

4

17

 373

 21.9

 20-22

5

15

 330

 22.0

 20-22

Savings from disability services, heating.   

Richards said that about twenty students with intensive special education needs—those that go beyond traditional special ed education and some of whom state law requires them to be part of the curriculum until they turn 21—have left Wilton’s educational system either from aging out of the program or because they have been moved to other “cooperative educational service” areas. This decrease led to a savings of about $422,000.

Richards highlighted the fact that there was a “significant decrease” in energy usage of 26-percent in electricity and 16-percent in heating oil since the 2003-2004 budget. This makes for a decrease 10.3-percent of heating oil and another decrease of 2.6-percent in light and power from last year’s budget.

Public Comments

“Seniors got a tough budget too,” said Ken Dartley. He said that many senior seek a so-called “revenue enhancement” by “not leaving their jobs when they should retire.” Dartley asked the Board to consider a “pay-for-play” policy to raise revenue.

“We have not discussed it [pay-for-play] in this budget cycle and it may or may not be part of the discussion going forward,” responded Richards.

Jacquelyn Bayne asked the Board if they would consider something along the lines of merit pay for teachers in the future. Richards responded in a similar fashion as before.  

“Any movement into the merit pay area will come as a result of negotiations or state action down the road, but that’s not on our immediate plan,” said Richards.

Michael Graupner, who identified himself as a citizen of Wilton for 37 years, praised the new board for “transparency, openness—and if I can use the word, honesty, and that however you want to take that.”

Graupner suggested that the Board should enact a fund-raising program for more revenue.

“I’ve never heard of a grateful son or daughter who has gone off on great success in the world who wrote a big check for its ” in Wilton, he said. “It would take the burden off the old guys like me who have been paying into the till for 37 years, and also the young parents who are already stretched,” said Graupner.

Another citizen, Ed Papp, thought that “…if we’re only spending 31 cents on the dollar [for classroom teacher salaries], then something’s amiss…that’s pretty low,” he said. Papp also suggested improving class sizes and then thanked the board for their “work done negotiating salaries.”

Wiltonian Stacy Crameri, echoed Papp’s suggestion, referencing her third-grade child and asking that the BoE “make classroom size the top priority” when considering this budget.