Schools
Windsor School Board Approves Superintendent's Proposed Funding Increase
The Windsor board of education voted against its finance subcommittee's proposal for a 1.5 percent increase, and went with the superintendent's proposed increase, which is a full percentage point higher.
The Windsor board of education approved a budget proposal representing a 2.5 percent funding increase by a split vote of 5-4 Tuesday night.
The 2.5 percent increase is a request for an overall funding boost of $1.55 million to the district, and is the proposed increase presented by Windsor Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeffrey Villar in January.
The board of education was presented with a recommendation from its finance committee to reject the superintendent's proposal and adopt a budget with a funding increase of just 1.5 percent.
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The finance committee's recommendation was presented by committee Chair Kristin Ingram on February 6.
To achieve a request for an increase in funding one percentage point fewer than Villar's proposal, Ingram suggested the following cuts be made:
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- Elementary Schools
- Supplies and equipment (a reduction of $14,250)
- Reduction one vice principal (a reduction of $97,059)
- Benefits associated with cut of one vice principal (a reduction of $15,000)
- Sage Park Middle School
- Reduce supplies and services funding request to current operating levels (a reduction of $8,503)
- Reduce full-time vice principal to part-time (a reduction of $52,597)
- Benefits associated with reduction of vice principal time (a reduction of $7,000)
- Windsor High School
- Supplies and serviced funding request to current operating levels (a reduction of $8,930)
- Reduction of one vice principal (a reduction of $114,617)
- Benefits associated with reduction of one vice principal (a reduction of $15,000)
- Textbook Adoption
- Reduce textbook adoption (a reduction of $35,000)
- Technology
- Supplies and services (a reduction of $20,000)
- Equipment (a reduction of $30,000)
- District Policy, Planning and Management
- Policy formation and direction (a reduction of $20,000)
- School district management restored to current operating levels (a reduction of $20,000)
- Transportation
- An 8 percent cut in transportation associated with regular district education (a reduction of $181,712)
According to Ingram, her suggested cuts represent a reduction of $639,668 from the superintendent's proposal and would reduce the overall requested increase in educational funding for public education in town to 1.46 percent.
Despite Ingram's proposal, Villar's proposal retained full support from Democratic members on the board.
Richard O'Reilly, the only Democrat on the three-member finance committee, described the superintendent's budget as "well thoughout" and a request for funds necessary to "roll over into the next year."
Democratic support for Villar's budget was founded on two things: 1) an expressed need to encourage the superintendent's efforts to pull Windsor from among the state's worst performing districts; and 2) a funding request seen as being tied to fixed rising costs.
Board President Doreen Richardson identified transportation, health care and salaries (which only saw an increase of 1 percent in Villar's budget) as those costs largely responsible for the 2.5 percent request in increased funding.
Villar's proposal was approved by a party-line vote, with the sole Independent, Kristin Ingram, voting against the 2.5 percent increase with board Republicans.
While Villar's proposal was approved by the board of education, the education budget operates as a part of the town's overall budget — the largest portion, in fact — and must be adopted by the town council as such and sent to referendum for tax-payer approval.
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