This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Students and Teachers Don’t Disappear

“Vote No” people will tell you that the Clinton education budget needs to fail because they demand that the closure of Pierson result in a larger cost reduction than it ever realistically could. The fact is that closing this school results in nearly $500,000 in savings for 2019-’20 over the previous year’s budget for educating our 4th- and 5th-grade students.

In 2018-’19, it cost $1,870,422 to educate 4th- and 5th-grade students at Pierson; of that, 25 percent will saved. Savings come from the elimination of positions such as principal, secretaries, custodians, and cafeteria staff, as well as costs associated with operating the building. However, the rest of the expenditure of course will now shift to Joel and Eliot, with the students and teachers.

So 25 percent ($475,170) is saved, 34 percent ($607,984) travels to Joel with the 4th graders, 38 percent ($705,114) travels to Eliot with the 5th graders. All of this information, and much more, is available on page 50 of Clinton Public Schools 2019-’20 Board of Education Approved Budget. I encourage your readers to educate themselves on the facts of the numbers, not the emotion of what is perceived should be.

Fourth- and 5th-grade students and teachers don’t disappear into thin air! I encourage your readers to join me on Wednesday, May 8 in supporting Clinton’s well-thought-out budgets.

Shelby Auletta

Clinton