Windsor superintendent presents budget plan to board of education for 2019-20

WINDSOR — It’s budget season again in Windsor, and schools Superintendent Craig Cooke’s proposed spending plan for the 201920 school year went before the board of education for a first look Tuesday night.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s included in the budget:

Cooke is seeking a spending increase of 2.67 percent, or $1.85 million, over the current year. If adopted by the board of education and approved by the town council, the total budget would be $70.9 million.

According to Cooke, the budget increase with just fixed costs would be 2.2 percent.

Last year Cooke re- quested and received a 2.37, or $1.6 million, budget increase.

Cooking is seeking to add several positions, with accompanying reductions, to mitigate the salary increases:

Maintaining the new high school assistant principal position that was added prior to this school year, at a cost of $120,000. The district has offset that increase by reducing the teaching ranks at the high school by one and reducing supply accounts. Cooke said the position has helped create a better academic and social/ emotional climate at the school, in addition to providing enhanced instructional supervision.

An additional math and reading teacher at Sage Park Middle School, at a cost of $150,000, with an offset of $150,000 by reducing the Focused Support Program teaching ranks by two positions.

An additional special education teacher at the high school to handle increased caseloads. The position costs $75,000 and will be partially offset by a $30,000 reduction in special education tutors.

The addition of a board certified behavioral analyst for prekindergarten students at a cost of $70,000. The position would be partially offset by a $50,000 reduction in contracted services.

An additional technology services technician to help service the district’s 6,287 devices. The $60,000 posi- tion will be partially offset by the reduction of a regular education paraprofessional position at $40,000.

The spending plan also seeks to add an additional business teacher at the high school, as well as a speech language pathologist and math tutor.

Mayor Donald Trinks said he has no doubt that the district needs the positions and increase that Cooke is seeking. However, the council, he said, has to consider budget needs on the town side as well as taxpayers.

“We’ll look at it closely and see how it will impact the taxpayers overall,” Trinks said.

Steven Goode can be reached at sgoode@courant.com.