Voting just after midnight, the Westport Board of Education early today approved a $88.9 million 2007-08 proposed school budget after reducing the superintendent’s request by more than $300,000.
The proposal is a 8.4 percent increase over the current budget and now moves on to the Board of Finance.
Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon had proposed an $89.2 million budget, which is a 8.8 percent, or $7.2 million increase over the current budget.
The board reduced the operating expenses by approximately $636,000 based on proposed cuts from Landon, but added $300,000 to the insurance account before its final vote.
The board spent the most time wrangling over Landon’s proposed cuts when it came to teachers and teaching aides.
He proposed to reduce the increase in teachers at Staples High School from 5.5 positions by three.
The board elected to reduce the number by two while reducing the number of teachers in reserve from three to two.
Additionally the two teaching aides for the middle school gifted program were reduced from a full-time position to a part-time position.
Also, two of the grade-level aides at the high school were reduced in the budget, which the board cut against Landon’s recommendation.
Landon said the high school could live with the reduction by having more efficient scheduling, but board members expressed concerns with the reduction.
“I’m concerned it’s too aggressive of a proposal,” said Chairwoman Mary Parmelee. “I think we may have an unforeseen increase in actual – not our average – class sizes.”
She could see the reduction of the .5 position that was to be used to help with the science research program because it affects a smaller group of students, she said.
She also felt one or two other teachers could be cut because some classes could be increased to 30 students.
Pamelee pointed out that the elementary class sizes are good for next school year, so the teaching reserve could be used at the high school if there was a major problem.
Landon said he proposed a reduction in the gifted program because he was trying to not touch the number of teachers.
There are no other real programs with the teaching assistants, he said.
“We’ve never touched this program,” he said of making a cut to the middle school gifted program.
Parmelee opposed the cut to the gifted program along with Jim Marpe, board secretary, and Mark Mathias.
She said she opposed the cut because the gifted program teachers have been asked to help differentiate teaching in the regular classrooms.
“We haven’t really done it at the middle school,” she said of differentiating teaching.
This reduction is .0034 percent of the total budget.
try .33 % you are off by 100
300,000 / 88,900,000 x 100
I was rushing out when I did that. The hands could not keep up with the brain. So yes, 0.34% or 0.0034 of the budget. Thanks for the correction.
Either way you look at it, it does not seem like cut.