Upgrades spur proposed budget increase

WINSTED — A new roof for the auditorium, as well as heating units in the gym and cafeteria, are among the capital improvements in a proposed Gilbert School budget that would see total spending increase by 2.11 percent over current levels, officials said.

The capital improvement budget of $462,544 is $216,244 more than the current capital budget, part of an overall $7,843,928 spending plan for 2021-22.

In addition to the roof and heating units, other capital improvements include telephone system upgrades, camera system and security upgrades and repairs to the bleachers in the gym.

The proposed tuition for Winchester is $7,345,297, with International Program tuition at $347,306, and Hartland tuition at $17,375.

Gilbert School Superintendent Anthony Serio’s recommended spending proposal is expected to be discussed at the Gilbert School Corp.’s monthly meeting Wednesday.

Serio said the capital improvement budget is based on recommendations from Gilbert’s building and grounds subcommittee. The roof and the roof heaters are part of the school’s five-year capital improvement plan, and $100,000 is budgeted for the improvements from the school’s Capital Reserve Account.

“We will be going over the budget tomorrow night at our regular meeting,” Serio said Tuesday. “It’s true, this year the capital improvement budget has increased. The auditorium roof by itself is more than $260,000 and there’s $102,000 for heating units in the gym and the cafeteria. That’s really the chief areas that need to be addressed in the school.”

During its last meeting Feb. 12, the Winchester Public Schools Board of Education briefly discussed the Gilbert School’s capital budget, with members saying they don’t believe Winsted residents should have to pay for Gilbert’s capital repairs.

“We should not be financing Gilbert’s capital improvement projects, and I hope the BOE can do something about this in the future,” said school board member Dick Dutton. “The Gilbert School is a private entity.”

However, Serio said, Winchester Public School board members serve on the Gilbert School Corp, making the school district a sharing entity for the building and its costs. The Gilbert School Corp. leases the building from the owner, The Gilbert Trust, for $1 a year.

“We have a triple net lease with the school corporation, and we include any facilities improvements in our budget,” he said. “The BOE doesn’t think we should have (capital improvements) in there. They think the trust should pay because the trust owns the building. But because WPS is part of the school corporation, they are part of those improvements.”

The proposed spending plan can be seen at https:// rb.gy/hozdas.