By: Maria Moore
After the Saturday morning Budget Workshop held by the Board of Finance, at which they received a clear message that they needed to come back with reduced budgets, both the New Hartford Public Schools Board of Ed and the Northwestern Regional #7 Board of Ed held meetings to review their proposed budgets in light of the Board of Finance’s input. Below are summaries of their discussions. Neither one of the two Boards of Ed has submitted a revised copy of their proposed budget to the Town Clerk’s Office. Hopefully, those revised copies will be available at the Board of Finance’s Special Meeting later this evening, Tuesday, March 22.
New Hartford Public Schools Board of Ed Meeting – March 15:
The Board of Ed members were given a revised proposed budget titled “0% + Special Education” which is the budget they’d been asked by the Board of Finance to come up with. This they decided, came down to 0% plus $129,000 for Special Ed, resulting in a total increase of 1.71%. They then had to decide on making cuts of $223,852 to get down to the zero budget.
They eventually decided on the following cuts: two Library Media Assistants; one Grade 5 Teacher; one Curriculum Coordinator; musical instruments; an annuity (for the incoming Principal?); maintenance projects; technology equipment; supplies and textbooks; library.
Two non-tenured teachers would not have their contracts renewed and one of the district’s two curriculum coordinators would return to the classroom.
Having reduced the budget to zero percent increase, Steve Tuxbury moved to accept the budget as amended. The motion didn’t pass; instead Katie Fisk Natale proposed the motion: “To accept the list of recommended cuts identified in the meeting in order to meet the Board of Finance request for a zero budget.” That motion passed.
The Board of Ed members then considered their Capital projects. Steve made the motion to prioritize them as follows: 1. The roof at Bakerville; 2: the replacement of the Piping and the return fuel lines; 3: the windows and doors project at Antolini; and 4: the air handlers at Antolioni. The motion was passed.
It was left to Dr. Philip O’Reilly, Superintendent of Schools, to make the above changes to the New Hartford Schools proposed budget.
Northwestern Regional # 7 Board of Ed Special Meeting, March 16:
The Regional # 7 Board of Ed members discussed the fact that they had received a demand to come back with a zero percent budget, and that the New Hartford Schools had been asked for a zero percent plus Special Ed costs. They decided that since the increases in Special Ed were fixed, they too would reduce their budget to 0% + increases in Special Ed costs. That would result in a 1.55 to 2% overall budget increase. That percentage was later reduced to 1.25% increase in the overall budget.
With that guidance set, Judy Palmer, Superintedent of Schools, said she could go back to her board, and start to make the cuts that were most removed from the students.
The Board of Ed members agreed to leave it to Judy to come up with a revised budget that met their criteria. Judy was to email a copy of the revised budget to the Board of Ed members and they were to hold a special meeting to agree on the revisions before taking that revised budget proposal to any of their towns.
The Board of Ed members agreed to set a Special Meeting for this evening, Tuesday, March 22 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the revised budget proposal.
