Schools

School Board Suspends Budget Talks as Tempers Flare

The Windsor Board of Education chose to suspend talks regarding $600,000 in cuts to education Tuesday night.

The vote to suspend talks and hold a special meeting came after more than an hour of budget deliberations, during which the difficulty of cutting planned services, programs and teachers was shown as board members tried their best to avoid arguing rather than discussing.

No concrete plan for cuts were suggested Tuesday, but a number of questions were raised by board members and broad suggestions were made.

Board Secretary Richard O'Reilly led talks by inquiring about the possibility of a pay-for-play athletics system.

Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Villar noted a study regarding the success of such programs could be conducted, providing the board with more detailed information.

Republican Paul Panos suggested the board use the finance committee's proposal as a framework for cuts, including the elimination of vice principals, the elimination of elementary Spanish and cuts to textbook and technology spending.

After suspending talks Tuesday, the board did not set a date for the special meeting, during which the budget will be the only topic.

Board members expressed interest in holding the meeting within the next week.


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