Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon tonight clarified how much will be saved on transportation because of all-day kindergarten, which is $310,000 less than originally anticipated.
The Board of Education approved a plan to implement three full days of kindergarten in the fall along with two days of classes that will end 2 hours earlier than the remainder of elementary students. At that time, Landon said school officials would save $390,000 in transportation costs.
Landon said tonight during the announcements portion of the meeting that he “misspoke” and the actual savings will be $80,000.
Board Chairwoman Mary Parmelee noted that the board approved the measure for its education value and not the savings, but she asked the board if any member wanted to bring the plan back for a re-vote. No one said they wanted a second vote on the matter.
James Westphal, a parent who has opposed the all-day kindergarten plan, addressed the board and said he was glad to hear about the correction because he didn’t think the numbers were right.
He was surprised the board didn’t scrutinize the matter before voting on the plan, he said.
“You shouldn’t accept things at face value without scrutiny,” he said. “It was a $310,000 error. There was a complete lack of investigation.”
He also believes more money will need to be spent because of the changes, he said.
Excuse Me?
Did I see this right – The $390,000 savings will only be $80,000? That is, Dr. Landon was only off by about 80% in the figures he provided the Board? (I hope that our students do better with their Math!)
At the time that extended day was voted on, a number of individuals stated that it seemed hard to believe that such a large number could be saved by eliminating just a few kindergarten bus runs. I am very surprised that our Superintendent didn’t have the same thought when he saw these figures.
And the Board of Ed should be very disappointed in being given false information – and also we should be disappointed in them for not questioning more fully the data provided when it was so obviously ripe for questioning.
That said, I still think the proper decision was made as to full day kindergarten, although this new disclosure reinforces those who felt more scrutiny was justified.
Is anyone REALLY surprised at this???
First of all, in a town as affluent as Westport, budget shouldn
There are three problems with the issues surrounding the incorrect estimate. First, it underscores how poor the quality of data was on numerous issues that Dr. Landon fed to the BOE.
Second, it underscores the willingness of the BOE to accept Dr. Landon’s assertions at face value. When I heard the $390,000 number, it was so unrealistically high just based on the number of kindergarten students that I assumed I had misunderstood. Whether they viewed it as relevant to their decision or not, why didn’t one person ask Dr. Landon how he calculated the big figure? And how would they have responded if Dr. Landon had said that the initiative would COST an additional $390,000 for buses? I don’t want a BOE comprised of bean counters but it’s not asking much to expect just one member to identify this error before outsiders do.
Third, the fact is that full day kindergarten is an expensive proposition that will require additional money or service cuts. It will require more than 4,000 hours of additional teacher time; supplemental paraprofessional time; increased supplies; additional clerical and administrative support; and investment for additional