The Board of Education cut the bottom line of the 2008 school budget by more than $175,000 on Wednesday night, March 26, bringing the total percentage increase to just under five percent.

For several weeks school board members have met to discuss Superintendent Susan Viccaro's proposed $31,222,083 budget - which represented a 5.59 percent increase - and determine which expenditures could be eliminated or reduced. Last week, at the request of the board, Viccaro and the administrative team presented a list of potential cuts based on reducing the budget by $100,000, $200,000 and $300,000.

The board, whose goal was to keep the increase under five percent, chose some of the items from the list, but also made some of its own reductions. By the end of Wednesday's meeting, the board reduced the budget by over $127,000 with a 10 percent reduction in hardware for $20,000; a 10 percent reduction in dues and subscriptions for $7,500; a $2,700 reduction in the Capturing Kids Hearts program; $4,300 less by eliminating membership in the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE); a 10 percent reduction in the increase of the supply accounts for a $16,000 savings; the elimination of the part-time physical education teacher for $30,000; a reduction in days and hours for the IDS nurse for a savings of $14,900; custodial uniforms for $4,500; media equipment at John Lyman School for $6,800; and eliminating $15,000 for the library automation programs at the three elementary schools. Mary Jane Parsons also discovered a duplicate item in the budget - $5,900 for Strong School athletic program transportation.

After making the $127,000 in cuts, the board also decided to make an additional $50,000 in cuts, but left the decision as to what those would be to Viccaro and the administrative team. The total reductions bring the net budget to $31,044,283, for an overall percentage increase of 4.99 percent.

The board batted around several options for reducing the budget number, including "big ticket" positions like the reading consultant ($80,000 salary and benefits), and the newly proposed IT director ($75,000). The reading consultant has consistently been proposed and subsequently cut from the budget for years, but this year many board members felt it was necessary to keep the position.

Viccaro and Curriculum Director Carol Luckenbach explained the difference between the reading consultant position and the district's current remedial reading teachers. The reading consultant will work directly with teachers on the best practices for reading. The benefit of that direct teaching will then be passed on to all students, from those who read above grade level to those who are at grade level and below. Remedial reading teachers work directly with only those students who have been identified as needed extra reading support.

Board member Kerrie Flanagan, who said last week that she was disturbed that the reading consultant position was constantly cut, said she was reluctant to take positions out of the budget.

"There are a lot of significant increases in accounts that don't involve positions and have the least amount of impact on the students directly," Flanagan said. She specifically noted the dues and subscriptions account, as well as supplies.

The board and Viccaro agreed that the reading consultant position would not be part of the $50,000 in additional cuts.

The board's decision to cut $15,000 for the library automation at the three elementary schools came after what Luckenbach called a "stop gap" solution was presented. For the next year, the schools could use free library automation software that will at least get the schools' card catalog into an electronic format. It will not be Web-based like the systems at Memorial and Strong, but it will move the libraries into a more modern age. Luckenbach said the work that will be done to get all the books into the electronic system can then be transferred to the Follet system in the future. The board acknowledged that it would only delay the expense until next year, but ultimately decided to take the savings in this year's budget.

The Board of Education will meet on Wednesday, April 9, for a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the high school library. At 8 p.m. it will adjourn to a public hearing on the 2008-09 school budget in the auditorium.

The board voted in favor of a motion to bring the budget to referendum on Tuesday, May 6. Residents will not only vote on the budget, but also on the $6.3 million bonding package. A district meeting is also scheduled for Monday, May 5, where the public may attend to speak about the budget prior to the referendum.

Capital Fund

Though it is represented as a cost neutral move in the budget, the board decided to officially start the capital fund with $150,000. The funds were shifted from the salary account to the capital fund. With 13 known retirements at the end of this school year, the district will soon be in a position to hire new people for all of those teachers who are leaving. District 13 will likely see some salary savings with those new hires as they will be hired at a lower pay grade.

Board chairman Tom Hennick proposed moving the funds to start the capital fund and asked Viccaro if she felt it was possible.

"Yes, it is possible, but it means that I will definitely be hiring at the low end of the pay scale," Viccaro said.

While she acknowledged that there may be some positions where it might be difficult to hire on the lower end, there were also many that could be filled with teachers in the first several years of their teaching careers.

Flanagan said it is wise to have a capital fund to prepare for expenses ahead of time. "We are looking at bonding for some very critical improvements for things that the board was not able to fund in the past," she said. "With six buildings and 126 acres of land, we will always incur some capital costs."

Support for BASREP

Several parents spoke in support of the Before and After School Recreation Enrichment Program at the March 26 meeting, and encouraged the board to work on its relationship with the longtime program.

"BASREP has served our community for 17 years as a non-profit organization," said Kathy DeBrum.

She questioned the reasoning behind a $17,000 expenditure for after-school staff at the three elementary schools when BASREP already provides it.

Karen Buckley-Bates said that BASREP provides a service to parents, taxpayers, children and the schools. She was also concerned about talk of eliminating the late bus at Memorial School. As a working mom with a child who participates in after school activities, the elimination of that bus would make it difficult for her child to continue being involved.

"Without that bus it would require me to either take time off or make other arrangements so my children can participate in the after-school programs," she said.

Hennick said that while there is no movement to necessarily end support of BASREP in the district, "it all comes down to money." He said that the organization is looking to pay significantly less rent than the district is asking for. However, Hennick noted that negotiations are ongoing to determine a fair rent.