The Brookfield Board of Education (BOE) considered how it might be able to retain two elementary remedial reading positions, whether it can afford to hire a maintenance mechanic and if a 2.76 percent overall spending increase could be approved at referendum as it continued its discussions on Superintendent Anthony Bivona’s proposed $37,146,266 budget for the next fiscal year.

“I struggle with cutting remedial reading positions,” said Susan Queenan, who was elected to the BOE just two months ago.

She said having those positions might prevent the need for further remedial assistance for some students in the upper grades.

Bivona said during Wednesday’s regular BOE meeting that the remedial positions are important, but that the reduction of a .5 position at Center Elementary School (CES) and at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School (HHES) would probably mean that some of the remedial reading groups would have four or five students instead of two or three.

He said that would be a “manageable” number for the remedial reading teachers.

“We’re not talking about ending remedial reading, we’re just talking about having slightly higher groups,” BOE Chairman Ray DiStephan said in an interview.

Bivona said the elimination of the remedial reading part-time positions would allow the district to have lower class sizes at CES and HHES. He also has proposed reallocating a teacher from Whisconier Middle School (WMS) to HHES.

In response to a question from Paul Checco, who also was elected to the BOE in November, Bivona said without the savings from cutting the two .5 remedial reading positions, some of the class sizes at HHES might be 24 or 25 students per teacher instead of 21.

Maintenance Mechanic

BOE member Harry Shaker said during the two hours of deliberations on the proposed budget that he supports Bivona’s recommendation to hire a maintenance mechanic, who would be experienced in such areas as heating and air conditioning repairs.

“I think it’s a must,” he said. “It’s preventative maintenance.”

“Bill Davidson is right,” DiStephan said, referring to the first selectman. “We have $100 million invested in our buildings and we need to take care of them.”

Art Colley, the school district’s director of business and technology, said only one of the current custodians is trained in heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance, which has led to delays in getting expensive units repaired.

DiStephan said his only reservation about the proposal is that although Bivona’s proposed budget is “very responsible,” the added costs for the maintenance mechanic might mean the difference between the schools budget being approved or defeated at referendum in May.

Shaker said although Bivona’s proposed spending increase is the lowest in his eight years on the BOE, he would like to get the hike to closer to 2 percent.

Bivona said any further major reductions would probably result in further staff reductions.

Due to the loss of funding from the federal Jobs Bill in 2010, the district expects to lose six paraprofessional positions during the next fiscal year.

Colley, who provided a presentation to the BOE on the chief budget drivers, said the estimated 14 percent increase in health care premiums might be one percent lower when the final package is determined later this winter.

DiStephan said he believes it is “a pretty big accomplishment” that the overall costs for health care benefits for the district is projected to decline by $93,300.

Colley said the overall employee salaries in the district are projected to increase just 2 percent, largely because of the contract with the teachers, which includes no general wage increases and only modest step increases for three years.

That is largely due to concessions made the Brookfield Education Association (BEA), the bargaining unit for the teachers, in the three-year contract that will take effect starting in July.

The BOE will hold a public hearing on Bivona’s package Tuesday, January 10, at 7 p.m. in the Brookfield High School (BHS) media center and plans to continue its deliberations immediately following the hearing.

The BOE tentatively plans to adopt its recommended budget January 18 and then send it to Davidson by January 31.