Board of Ed Reduces 2011-12 Budget by $340K

At a special meeting held on Wednesday, March 9, the Brookfield Board of Education (BOE) voted to reduce its 2011-12 adopted budget by .95 percent.

During Wednesday evening’s meeting, the BOE accepted the savings from a retirement incentive program offered to teachers by the district. A total of nine teachers will be retiring on June 30, 2011, lowering salaries in the proposed 2011-12 budget by $269,660.

Art Colley, the school district’s director of Business and Technology Operations, informed the Board that a 2 percent reduction in the renewal rate for health benefits has been received from CIGNA, the provider for the Town and the BOE. This reduction and further benefit savings due to the elimination of six paraprofessional positions allowed for a total of $189,906 to be trimmed from the school district’s health benefit budget. These cost savings and the implementation of consumer-based health plans for 150 district employees have limited the increase in the district’s health benefit budget to 5.2 percent.

Additionally, the Board of Education voted to increase the budgeted amounts for heating oil, diesel fuel, legal fees for paraprofessional and teacher negotiations, and the district’s contribution to the Town’s pension plan by a total of $121,500.

“The 2011-12 budget is highly efficient, cost effective and is linked directly to the district’s new strategic plan while focusing on 21st Century Skills and raising the performance of all students,” Superintendent Anthony Bivona said.

A total of 3.4 teaching positions are included in the budget — a 1.0 full-time (FTE) elementary classroom teacher at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School, a .40 FTE music teacher, a 1.0 FTE World Language teacher at Whisconier Middle School and a 1.0 FTE Library Media Specialist position at Brookfield High School.

In total, district staffing will be decreased by .27 FTE due to the above mentioned loss of paraprofessional positions across the district.

Overall, the Board’s 2011-12 adopted budget was reduced by a total of $338,777 resulting in an increase of $972,708 or 2.75 percent versus the 2010-11 operating budget. Board members approved the revised budget 6-0, with one member, Samir Quereshi, absent from the meeting.

The BOE is scheduled to meet with the Board of Finance (BOF) on Tuesday, March 15, at 8 p.m. at Town Hall to review and discuss its adopted budget.