Stonington Board of Education finalizes budget cuts totaling $1.6M
Stonington — The Board of Education has finalized a list of $1.6 million in cuts to the school budget.
Among the casualties is freshman football and basketball and junior varsity tennis at the high school, as well as a $130,579-a-year assistant principal at the middle school, $128,000 for eight paraprofessionals, $102,525 for 1.6 high school science teaching positions, an $85,776-a-year technology teacher and a $60,125 elementary school librarian.
The board approved the cuts recommended by Superintendent of Schools Van Riley last Thursday night. In addition, Riley reported the school system would be returning $350,000 in unspent funds from the current budget to the town.
The Board of Finance had initially asked the school board to cut $1.1 million and then before approving a 202021 budget with no tax rate increase, it tentatively cut the school budget by an additional $500,000.
Some or all of that money, though, could be returned to the school system if the state aid remains at the projected $1 million. Finance board members created the sort of insurance fund because they fear the town may not receive some of its state education aid due to the state’s worsening fiscal condition. They told school officials the fund would be better than the school system having to absorb a large cut partly through the school year that the town would not be able to offset.
But school officials said they had to finalize a budget and make decisions on staffing now. On the night of the $500,000 cut, Board of Education Chairwoman Alexa Garvey said the reduction would mean the school board will now have to eliminate 10 teaching positions.
That did not occur, as Riley
instead recommended the board delay depositing $500,000 in its health benefit reserve account.
The school board also saved $99,353 on its oil and gas contracts and will save another $20,000 by charging the town for the overtime costs of custodians who must stay in the schools during municipal meetings. Other cost savings came in areas of supplies and materials and $57,000 in general health benefits.
A large group of parents sent emails to the board last week opposing the elementary librarian cut but Riley explained to the board that students would not lose library services as a middle school librarian would be shifted to cover the elementary schools.
There are about $700,000 in employee raises in the school budget but the school board did not ask the unions who represent those employees to forgo those raises in 2020-21.