Superintendent of Schools Yaw Obeng and Finance Director Nathan Lavery presented a revised proposal Tuesday night with cuts to teaching staff and some sports that would save $500,000. Their preliminary budget could have driven up local education tax rates nearly 10 percent.
Board members and district officials are coming back Monday and Tuesday for two more meetings to finalize the budget proposal that residents will consider at town meeting in March.
The board has until Jan. 24 to get a budget to city officials.
Last week, Obeng and Lavery gave a budget presentation that drew a standing-room-only crowd. At that meeting the two officials asked for guidance from the board. School commissioners have been considering whether to apply a $1.1 million surplus to the budget to buy down any tax rate increase by about 2 percentage points.
The latest fiscal 2019 budget proposal, which includes revenue sources such as grants, comes in at just over $83.6 million. With the use of the surplus, the projected tax rate increase now would be 6.92 percent. If school commissioners don’t roll the surplus into the proposed spending plan, the tax rate would increase 8.82 percent under this revised proposal.
A straw poll Tuesday by the board favored use of the surplus. School commissioners plan to decide on the fate of the extra funds during Monday’s meeting.
The revised spending proposal contains staffing reductions at Burlington High School and three of the city’s elementary schools. At BHS, cuts are proposed in business, physical education and Burlington Technical Center, as well as the elimination of golf and alpine sports. Reductions target those areas due to low student interest or declining enrollment.
The proposal also supports giving physical education credit to students participating in athletics. Obeng said students who play golf and alpine sports could still participate in meets, but would do so without a team or coach.
No reductions are planned at the middle school level.
Reductions in central office staff and student-to-teacher ratios were also outlined in the new proposal. It envisions ratios of 19-to-1 at the elementary level; 23-to-1 at the middle school level; and between 17-to-1 and 19-to-1 in high school.
Obeng and Lavery said they followed Agency of Education guidelines while developing teacher-to-student ratios.
At the elementary level, district officials propose eliminating seven elementary school teachers. The proposed cuts in faculty would affect Flynn and C.P. Smith elementary schools and the Sustainability Academy.
Obeng and Lavery also reviewed a proposed reduction from 12 to six interventionists at the elementary school level. The focus would be on achievement gap objectives, Obeng said.
The estimated savings from the elementary school reductions is $210,000. Burlington School District communications specialist Russ Elek said the district is hoping to avoid layoffs and make the cuts through retirements and natural attrition. Teacher contracts require that reduction in force, or RIF, notices be issued until retirement and voluntary departures are confirmed.
Board members expressed concern about the proposed staffing reductions at the elementary level. School Commissioner Stephanie Seguino said she was concerned that cuts would affect some “high-needs schools.” She added that school directors have the challenge, once they approve a budget proposal, to “sell” it to the public.
Other board members also are seeking additional information from district officials on proposed reductions in sports.
Obeng responded strongly to board members’ remarks on proposed staffing cuts. He stated firmly that one of his highest priorities is to close the achievement gap between different groups of students. He added that he is anxious to move the district forward by implementing innovative programs.
“There are opportunities here to make that change,” Obeng said. “It’s the board’s privilege to help guide the budget.”
Elek said the location for next week’s meetings is still to be determined and that the district will announce the agendas 48 hours in advance on the district website. The website includes a public survey regarding the proposed budget.
