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03/28/2017 12:00 AMThe Clinton Board of Education is working to spread the word on its 2017-’18 $34,999,831 proposed budget, a budget school officials say was made with a clear understanding of the likelihood of steep cuts in state funding.
The budget represents a $1,911,475 increase in spending—5.78 percent—compared to the current year. Of that, $781,992 comes from increased debt repayment (a 67 percent increase over the current year) and $1,006,847 is from the employee benefit line (up 16.9 percent). Both of those increases are fixed and represent a 5.4 percent increase on their own, so the board had to look elsewhere for opportunities to limit costs.
The board has proposed an increase of $1,189,051 to its operating budget, a 3.77 percent increase relative to current spending. The bulk of the increase is because of what Clinton Board of Education Chair Annaliese Spaziano calls “unavoidable drivers,” such as medical insurance and salaries.
O’Donnell noted, “Once we settle a contract, then we are obligated by those requirements.”
The increase in health insurance can be explained by a higher claims rate over the last two years in Clinton, as well as an increase in health care costs, which “has put pressure on our increase and renewals,” said Clinton Superintendent of Schools Maryann O’Donnell.
In an effort to contain some of the costs, the board negotiated a new healthcare deductible plan that will go into effect next year.
While the Board of Education is asking for an increase in budget, the town is also dealing with declining enrollment. According to the Clinton Public Schools Enrollment projections, Clinton has experienced a steep birthrate decline from 2005 when there were 163 births, to 2011 when there were only 98 births. In that same time period, Clinton’s enrollment total from Pre-K to grade 12 fell by 249 students.
Since birthrate and enrollment projections both show the decline accelerating over the next six years, the board decided staffing cuts and class size changes were necessary. The board is proposing to reduce three elementary school classroom positions. Five paraeducators positions will be reduced, as well as the elimination of the high school Chinese program. Part-time custodian positions will be reduced while a library assistant position will be eliminated.
Grades 4 and 5 at Abraham Pierson School will see an increase in classroom size with projections showing 20 to 23 kids per class. O’Donnell called the cuts “hard to do.”
“The budget really represents what we’re trying to do,” Spaziano said. “We really engaged in our due process looking in every nook and cranny to make sure that we were being fiscally responsible while at the same time not affecting the strength of the program we were offering our kids.”
As the Wednesday, April 12 public hearing on the budget proposal in Clinton approaches, one major hurdle the board will have to contend with is the significant cuts to the Educational Cost Sharing Grant (ECS) in Governor Dannel Malloy’s proposed budget. ECS is a grant the state gives to towns to offset the cost of education. Malloy has asked the State of Connecticut to cut $20 million in education aid.
From the 2011-’12 to 2016-’17 school years, Clinton received between $6.3 and $6.5 million. In Malloy’s proposed budget, Clinton would see its ECS grant cut to less than $1 million. While O’Donnell said she could understand the need for the state to adjust its formula that determines how much money each town gets, she also said “to put a burden of over $5 million from a town like Clinton and put a burden onto our taxpayers I think is just unfair.”
O’Donnell said the Board of Education reviewed the proposal January and February to make sure the budget proposal was right the first time. O’Donnell said she was “taken to task” to prove every number and figure in the proposal to make ensure a strong proposal.
“They truly believe that this is the right budget and it’s informed and vetted. That’s an important message this year, knowing the realities of the fiscal climate and the challenges we all have related to funding,” O’Donnell said.
A public hearing on the proposed 2017-’18 town and schools budget is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12 in the Town Hall Auditorium. After the public hearing the budget will go to a referendum on Wednesday, May 10.