Town of Lyme
Budget Committee
January 10th, 2007
7:00PM
Fire Station Training Room
Approved: January 17th, 2007
Present at this meeting: Selectmen: Judith Shelnutt Brotman. Budget Committee Members: Chairman Barney Brannen, Mike Smith, Josh Kilham, Elizabeth Glenshaw, Jeff Lehmann, Wayne Tullar, Gibb Cornwell, Freda Swan & Dave Caffry. School Board Representative: Kathy McGowan. Principal: Jeff Valence. Superintendent: Gordon Schnare. Librarian: Betsy Eaton. Library Trustees: Judy Russell, Tish Smith, Margot Maddock. Town Office Committee: Chairman Peter Bleyler. Community Members: Barbara Roby, Cynthia Bognolo, Richard Ramsden, Lauri Rich & Earl Strout. Treasurer: Andrea Colgan. Staff: Administrative Assistant Carole Bont. Bookkeeper/Scribe Dina Cutting.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by Chair Brannen.
Mrs. Swan moved to approve the minutes of the January 10th, 2007 meeting. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Corrections were offered. Voted 9 in favor, 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell was not present for this meeting).
1) Mr. Brannen reviewed the Budget Committees agenda for tonight’s meeting.
· School budget and answers to questions from last week’s meeting.
· School and Library presentation.
· Brief update on the Town Offices Committee.
· Review of the Budget Committee schedule.
2) School:
a) Mrs. McGowan reported the cost per Lyme elementary student for 2004-2005 was $12,495.00. Lyme is the 3rd highest in the Upper Valley. Lebanon is the highest at $14,256.00. Hanover is the second highest at $12,933.00. The State average is $9,406.00.
b) The School Board reported on the total FTE for the school from 1997-2006. The Elementary staff has stayed level. The major increases have been in the Special Education department. They are projecting a student population of 183 for next year. In July of 2006, the student population was 180. Mr. Valence investigated the Kid Count Data base mentioned at the last Budget Committee meeting. The data are from 2000. These data were reviewed. Because the numbers are so old, they are not accurate for today’s date.
3) Trust Funds:
a) High School Tuition Fund- the High School Tuition Fund was reviewed. Mrs. McGowan presented a spreadsheet showing money going out of this fund and money coming in for the next 6 years. The School Board believes there is enough money in this Trust Fund to take care of the big bubble of students coming up. The School Board will put 1 more phantom student in the budget. If this money is not used during the year, it will go into the High School Tuition Fund. Followed was a discussion concerning the practice of using a phantom student instead of putting money directly into the Trust Fund. After reviewing the pros and cons of this issue, it was the sense of the Budget Committee to put the money directly into this fund. Mr. Schnare stated the school would be happy to do this however the Budget Committee wants. The consensus
was to make sure this fund is healthy enough for the future. The School will pull out 1 phantom student at $16,615.00. The School Board will put more money in this fund in the future as needed.
b) Special Education Fund-The School Board is recommending $25,000.00 be put into this fund. Mr. Schnare feels he will need about $57,000.00 this year. Once he takes out what the school will need and puts in the $25,000.00 next year the fund will be at $105,000.00 in 2008. Followed was a brief discussion concerning the money that is reimbursed by the state for Special Education costs. The option of putting this money directly into the trust fund was discussed. It makes more sense to keep reporting the money from the state reimbursement as revenue.
c) The building fund has $73,833.00 at the end of this year. Mr. Schnare felt this fund was okay as is. As we get closer to needing a new roof on the school, he will request money to go into this fund. The bottom line to the budget is unchanged. The total school budget is $4,455,399.00. French, social studies, and how the teachers are dividing duties were reviewed for Mrs. Roby. The increase in staff is population driven not course driven. There are 5 middle school “classes” instead of 4: 1-8th grade class, 2-7th grade classes and 2-6th grade classes.
d) Mrs. McGowan again reiterated her frustration with what she feels is interdepartmental transfer of funds between town and school. The Town paying the school for services and the school paying the town for services just seems ridiculous. It was discussed that the school is a separate entity from the town. It is a different form of government and operates under different rules and regulations. The school and the town are both funded by taxpayers. It is necessary to be consistent when the two different governments are being funded.
4) Library and School:
a) Mr. Valence reported the School and the Library met to examine the services the 2 groups provide for the School and the Town. They have come up with a long-range plan for the partnership between the Converse Library and the Lyme School. Mr. Valence reviewed this document (attached). Mr. Valence explained he had researched different models of school library services. The meeting produced 2 models.
· Model one: continue to provide library services as they were prior to 2006-2007, with assurances that programming can be provided in a manner according to the principles outlined in the partnership document.
· Because of scheduling for the public library and the schools needs, there are conflicts of availability and responsibilities.
· The school is required to have a certified media specialist to meet the State standards; the Librarian (Betsy Eaton) is this certified person.
Model 2: The School and the Library will continue to operate as they have been but will work towards Model 2.
· They plan on phasing this in over a period of time.
· The current certified media specialist’s certification expires in 2009. The school plans on having their own certified media specialist by this date.
· The School and library plan to continue sharing services at no extra cost to the Town.
· The programs have to be appropriate for all age levels of students within the Lyme School.
· Some of the long-range plans within the partnership will take years to implement.
· The school plans on operating with Betsy Eaton’s certification for the next 2 years. While she is the certified media specialist, the school will have a person working towards getting certification.
The school is level funding the library funds within the 2007 requested budget for Library services ($37,000.00).
The Library budget has been reduced to $122,739.00. $20,800.00 will stay in the school to pay for the librarian working within the school. $16,200.00 will be paid to the Library for services. The remaining $106,539.00 will be the Converse Library budget amount. These totals do not include the Blisters for Books money. This money will be off budget and an expendable trust fund will be set up for the Blisters funds. Followed was a discussion concerning programs of professional development for teachers, the books that are going over to the school and are being used by the staff, teachers and students, the amount/kind of help the public needs in the library, balancing the responsibilities between the public sector and the school programs within the Library, plus the implications of staffing in the future if the Model 2
program is implemented. If this is supported now, it means we are committing to increases in the school budget for library services down the road. The possible cost of this and the logistics of staffing this position was discussed. Mr. Valence investigated other school-library situations. The average cost of services for elementary school library of Lyme’s size is $54,000.00.
b) Mrs. Russell reviewed and presented the library’s revised budget. (Document attached) The Trustees feel they have come up with a plan that is a benefit to all students, the school, and the public.
The changes from the original budget are:
· Reduced hours of the Library Director.
· Reduced staff hours.
· Reductions in the following lines: dues, audio tapes, publications, electricity, snow/windows/rugs, and building maintenance.
The following outcome of these cuts were reviewed and discussed.
A) The establishment of a school library coordinator, to become certified.
B) The visible presence of library resources and personnel at the school.
C) Library Director will be dedicated entirely to the public library services and facility. D) Potential to improve and/or expand services to the Town.
E) Elimination of Wednesday evening hours or Monday hours.
F) Fewer new patron material purchased.
G) Fewer hours of direct supervision of assistants.
H) Fewer programs offered by Library staff.
I) Reduction of 1 assistant’s position to 10 hours per week; this will result in difficulty in coverage for Saturdays.
J) Fewer repairs and improvements to the building.
Ms. Russell reviewed the school contributions to the Library budget. Followed was a discussion of the % increase in the past 5 years of the Library budget. Mr. Brannen thanked the Library for all their hard work. It is evident they worked hard to cut this budget and they were successful. This brings the increase to the Library budget down to 13.4%, which is still high but much better than the original budget request. Followed was a discussion again concerning the commitment the Town would be making to the future increases to the School budget if they support this change. The Budget Committee and Mr. Schnare discussed the issues of losing this person who is being trained and the challenges of hiring staff for part-time jobs in this area. Also discussed were the benefits of this change and what the Town and School
will be getting from this change. Ms. Eaton addressed this question. You will get better services for both places; you will have someone who can be in the school, committed to staff meetings, working with the kids, working with the staff, and giving technical support. The preschool children are totally underserved now; this model would improve that. When you have a mix of public and children, it is difficult to provide appropriate attention to each. When the public comes in, they want your attention. If you have children in the Library, they cannot get that. It is too hard to teach, there is no consistency. These are just some of the challenges for the library staff. The change in structure was fueled by the desire to make the public Library stronger. Library and information services are undergoing such rapid changes that it is hard to keep up. Followed was a review of Library staff. Ms. Russell clarified that there have not been any staff hours increased in the recent years. The
Library has 1 full-time professional and 2 assistants that total 30 hours between the 2 employees. Followed was a discussion concerning interlibrary loans and circulations being up, computer cataloging and how much time this takes, computer services for adults who come into the library, keeping databases, and teaching the public how to use them. The possibility of comparing our library to another library was discussed. It was noted that it would be difficult to find one because of the unique situation in our town.
5) The Budget Committee felt they were ready to vote on the school budget at this time.
1130 Regular High School Tuition $1,400,221.00
Ms. Shelnutt Brotman moved line 8 at $1,400,221.00. Seconded by Mrs. Swan. This total reflects the tuition cost of 1 phantom student taken out. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
1230 High School Special Education $385,177.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 28 at $385,177.00. Seconded by Mr. Caffry. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
1100 Regular Education $1,283,333.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 66 at $1,283,333.00. Seconded by Mr. Smith. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
1200 Special Education $292,783.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 92 at $292,783.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
1400 After School Activities $0
Mr. Caffry moved line 95 at $0. Seconded by Mr. Lehmann. Motion voted unanimously in favor.
2120 Guidance $43,245.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 112 at $43,245.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2130 Health Services $63,994.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 128 at $63,994.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2140 Psychological Services $12.918.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 133 at $12.918.00. Seconded by Mr. Smith. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2150 Speech Services $20.800.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 141 at $20.800.00. Seconded by Mr. Lehmann. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2160 Physical/Occupational Therapy $12,703.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 148 at $12,703.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2190 Other Student Services $2,000.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 152 at $2,000.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2210 Improvement of Instruction $18,350.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 170 at $18,350.00. Seconded by Mr. Lehmann. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2220 Library/Media $37,000.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 184 at $37,000.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted unanimously in favor.
2310 School Board $13,784.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 203 at $13,784.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2320 SAU Administration $160,384.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 232 at $160,384.00. Seconded by Mr. Smith. Voted 8 in favor, 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell) 1 opposed (Mr. Lehmann).
2400 School Administration $177,226.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 256 at $177,226.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2600 Building/Grounds Services $214,083.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 288 at $214,083.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted 9 in favor and 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
2700 Transportation $85,910.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 303 at $85,910.00. Seconded by Mr. Smith. Voted 9 in favor, 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
5100 Debt Service $108,330.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 310 at $108,330.00. Seconded by Mr. Smith. Voted unanimously in favor.
5200 Transfer Funds $68,300.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 317 at $68,300.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Motion voted unanimously in favor.
3100 Food Services $54,858.00
Mrs. McGowan moved line 338 at $54,858.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Voted 9 in favor, 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
Total Budget Pre-K-12
Mrs. McGowan moved line 342 at $4,455,399.00. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Voted 9 in favor, 1 abstention (Mr. Cornwell).
6) Library budget. Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman noted that the Selectmen have not taken a position on the Library’s revised budget.
7) The Budget Committee reviewed the time line for the budget process.
· It was decided to have the Town Offices Committee come to the January 17th, 2007 meeting to give their report and recommendations.
· Then the January 24th, 2007 meeting will be the first public hearing and signing of warrant articles.
· If needed the Budget Committee could have a second public hearing on
January 31st, 2007.
8) Mr. Smith moved the Library budget at $122,739.00. Seconded by Mr. Tullar. Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman noted she would not be voting on this tonight because the Selectmen have not discussed the revised Library budget yet. Mrs. Swan commented she would like to wait until next week’s meeting to vote also. She would like time to read over the material handed out at tonight’s meeting. At this time Mrs. Swan moved to table the previous motion on the Library budget. Seconded by Mrs. Shelnutt Brotman. Ms. Eaton explained she would be away on vacation next week. If any of the Budget Committee members have questions she would be glad to answer them between now and next Wednesday. Ms. Russell stated she would be happy to come back next week. The motion was voted 5 in favor, 2 opposed (Mr. Smith &
Mr. Tullar), 3 abstained (Mr. Caffry, Mrs. McGowan, & Mrs. Glenshaw). The motion to table passed.
9) Mr. Bleyler gave a brief overview of the work by the Town Offices Committee. The Committee has recommended the purchase of the Upper Valley Land Trust Land on Route 10 south of town. This is 3.3 acres. The Selectmen have made an offer of $125,000.00 on this land. The Upper Valley Land Trust Trustees have approved the offer. The land is assessed at $110,000.00; the independent appraiser valued it at $150,000.00. The Upper Valley Land Trust has some requirements for a trailhead and kiosk. The money to purchase this land will come from the land acquisition fund. The Committee will need $20,000.00-$25,000.00 to have design work done and get this ready to go out to bid. The Selectmen have put $25,000.00 in the 2007 budget request. The Committee is looking at $1,700,000.00 for this total project. The project does
include a Town Office and Police Station combination. This is by far the least expensive of all the options the Committee looked at. The Town Offices Committee will be back at the next Budget Committees meeting to give more details on this project.
At 10:00PM Mr. Smith moved to adjourn. Seconded by Mrs. Swan. Motion voted unanimously in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dina Cutting
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