MINUTES
BOARD OF FINANCE & BOARD OF EDUCATION
MAY 1, 2012
A SPECIAL JOINT MEETING of the Board of Finance and Board of Education was held in the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, May 1, 2012.
Present were Mayor Ryan Bingham, Board of Finance members Bill Lamoin, Mark Bushka, Thomas Scoville, Laurene Pesce, and Brian Paganini, Board of Education members David Oliver, Ellen Hoehne, Daniel Thibault, John Kissko, Christopher Rovero, Vincent Merola, Fiona Cappabianca, and Kenneth Traub, Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Kloczko, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Susan Domanico, Business Services Administrator Danielle Batchelder, Director of Human Services William Joslyn, Director of Facilities David Bascetta, City Comptroller Alice Proulx and City Clerk Joseph Quartiero.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
PRESENTATION
Mrs. Kloczko said the children of Torrington will be our future residents, employers, taxpayers, and voters who will become viable adults and the main contributors to the greater community. Working in collaboration, it becomes the responsibility of the Torrington Public Schools, the families, and the community in general to contribute to their growth, development and education, and to provide the environment in which these children can learn and thrive. She listed the mainstays of a quality learning environment as:
1) A safe, welcoming environment where students can take risks because learning is a risk-taking adventure
2) An outstanding faculty, staff and administration who have in-depth knowledge, a pedagogy, and are capable of implementing theory to practice while keeping children's social, emotional, physical and academic needs at the forefront of their work
3) A quality ratio of teachers to students that allows for differentiated instruction, one-on-one, and small group learning opportunities
4) The right tools to do the work, which includes technology
Mrs. Kloczko say that maintaining these expectations costs money, and the Torrington Public Schools and Board of Education have worked diligently to maintain a zero budget increase for two years through the reduction of programs and 61 employees, the restructuring of their secretaries, faculty and administration, the reduction of general enrichment funds for elementary and middle school grades, and the removal of the Accelerated Pathway to Learning program for above-average and academically gifted students at the middle school, Upward Bound and Core Plus – two programs for at-risk regular education students at the Middle and High Schools. She said they share a Director of Technology with the City and are looking to provide programs for students with special needs within the community, keeping them in our school district rather
than outplacing them.
Mrs. Kloczko explained the increase of $2,677,526 this year will be needed for utilities, improvement to technology infrastructure, hardware & equipment, the increased cost of in-district and out-of-district transportation, a .5 step for teachers, facilities improvement, and the loss of over a million dollars in grant funding. She said although we were lucky this year with a mild winter and low overtime costs, being at a zero percent increase for two years has caught up with us.
Mrs. Kloczko said the budget being put forward to the City this year was approved by the Board of Education at their March 28th budget committee meeting, and was created by deliberation of the leadership team and input from principals, faculty, non-certified staff and families.
Mrs. Kloczko noted that the quality of community's education program is what attracts new businesses and homeowners to the community. The quality of the community is only as good as the education it provides for its youngest citizens because they are the future residents taxpayers, business owners, voters and leaders, she said. The better Torrington Public Schools can prepare its youngest citizens for the future world of work, the better off the entire city will be. Educating Torrington's children is an investment in the future. Mrs. Kloczko said research has shown that for each dollar invested in a quality education for a child, payback will be $18 if that child graduates from high school, increasing significantly if the student continues his education by attending a post secondary college, university or technical
school.
Mrs. Kloczko asked the Board of Finance to carefully study this budget and ask themselves what components they believe can be touched and still be in the best interest of the youngest citizens in the future of the City of Torrington.
Mr. Traub noted that in following the new SB24 bill, there's an uncertainty – they've removed a lot of the requirements of the SB24 bill, but they've also removed the funding that was attached to it. We are carrying $468,000 in additional revenue, he said, but may be another $468,000 short.
Mayor Bingham asked the Board of Education members if there had been a plan to supplement the revenue or make cuts, knowing that the temporary ARRA funding was ending this year. Mr. Traub replied that six Middle School positions were restructured and six para-professional positions at Torringford School were reduced to two full time positions. Mrs. Kloczko said she is performing a dual role, working as Director of Special Programs.
Mr. Scoville said he noticed that a slight projected increase in overall student population, and asked the Board to speak to the capacity of each school. Mrs. Kloczko said there is plenty of space at the high school, but not the elementary schools. She said as we look to service all children in the district, every time a program is added, another classroom is needed because additional programs have to be put in classrooms that have space. Mr. Oliver clarified that there is room within the schedule at the High School, but there isn't excess classroom space to add substantial programs such as all-day kindergarten.
Mayor Bingham noted that all-day kindergarten has been proven successful, and said it is something we should strive for. Mr. Traub said there isn't room in the elementary schools. Mrs. Koczko said the sooner a student can be worked with, the greater success there will be in reading by third grade and meeting state standards.
Mr. Lamoin asked if the elementary schools' capacity is fully utilized. Mr. Oliver said the only way to eliminate an elementary school would be to move 8th grade to the high school, and move all 5th grades to the middle school. This would exceed the capacity of the high school.
Mr. Traub said their goal has been to pull some of the out-of-district students back into Torrington. They’ve been successful lowering out-of-district placement costs over the last few years. Mr. Scoville asked how successful this has been financially. Mrs. Kloczko said a $200,000 transportation savings is projected for next year. She added that right now the savings equal the program costs but as the programs grow, there should be more savings.
Mrs. Batchelder noted that in 2009/2010, the Board of Education had to return to the City and ask for more money because of Special Education costs. In the past two years they had a deficit of between $400,000 and $600,000 in Special Education. This year they are at zero, which is about a $600,000 savings to the district as a whole. Mrs. Kloczko said the most challenging piece is that they never know who might be moving in.
Mr. Scoville asked what the per-pupil expense is in this budget. Ms. Batchelder replied that it ranges from elementary to high school, with the high school being about $10,500 and the elementary level slightly higher.
Mr. Scoville asked what sacrifices were made in this proposed budget, and why the cuts didn't reduce it.
Mrs. Kloczko added that schools haven't been reconfigured because transportation plays a key piece.
Mr. Oliver replied that 20 positions were cut within the district over the course of the past three years, when the Board has had the goal of a zero percent increase. They've lost a number of positions over the last two years, and deferred maintenance on their buildings. He said they need to make investments in technology, which has also been deferred. Mrs. Kloczko added that they have to look to the future for what's being mandated from the state. She noted that 3rd grade through high school standard tests are going to be administered online, so computers and infrastructure have to be planned for, and technology has to be imbedded in the classroom.
Mr. Oliver said a zero-increase budget this year would be unsustainable and irresponsible to the structure of the school system across the board. He offered to list the cuts that would have to be made in order to get to a zero-increase budget. Recognizing the work the Board put in to the budget, Mayor Bingham said he didn't think there would be a request to get to zero. He added that once the budgets are combined with revenue, and the mill rate is considered, there may be some cuts shared by the City and the Board of Education. He said he hopes to pass the Board of Education budget fully but doesn't know its impact on the mill rate yet.
Mr. Scoville requested the minutes of the Board of Education budget meetings. Mr. Oliver said the next cuts would be made in music and sports, the elimination of general enrichment, reduction of technology budget, elimination of the Latin program at the high school, and further reductions of teachers.
Mr. Lamoin asked if class size changes were considered, especially in the elementary schools. Mr. Traub said there are 20 positions eliminated now, and another 34 would be eliminated should they need to get to a zero-increase budget. Mr. Oliver added that larger class sizes in elementary schools would be in violation of union agreements.
Mr. Lamoin asked about the formula used in each school to determine staff. Mrs. Kloczko said they are trying to demonstrate best practices in the student-teacher ratio, given the needs in the primary age classrooms, the need for differentiation, and the need for recognizing where children are entering our schools. She said 78% of the students are having a pre-school experience but that does not mean it is in a certified accredited preschool. It may mean spending half the day with a neighbor or relative if parents are working.
Mr. Lamoin asked if best practice would be jeopardized with a class size of 22 or 23, and Mrs. Kloczko said it would greatly hamper their progress. Students leaving kindergarten now are expected to be reading, writing and do much higher levels of mathematics. Things we were doing in second grade twenty years ago is now expected of a kindergarten child, she said, and without pre-school, the children are at a disadvantage, playing catch-up their whole educational career.
Mr. Traub said he's trying to get the test scores up to meet the yearly progress requirements. Larger classrooms would deter from this.
Mr. Bushka referred to the FTE chart and asked how the additional positions were funded. Mr. Oliver replied that this was done by reallocating resources within the budget, and part of it was funded by the Jobs Fund the year before. This staffing increase was caused by an influx of special education students that were placed in the district by DCF and other agencies, he said.
Mr. Traub said that by bringing students back into the district and lowering our out-of-district tuition, we added staff but still saved money.
In answer to Mr. Bushka's question about increases from last year, Ms. Batchelder replied that there was a loss of funding from stimulus grant money. This $811,000 worth of salaries is just a reallocation from grants to the actual budget, she said, not actual positions. Ms. Batchelder projected a $400,000 decrease in grant funds next year.
Mrs. Kloczko added that in her experience, grant providers expect you to be on your own after two years.
Mr. Bushka summarized the net cost to the City, saying last year the City responsibility was $64,502,000 minus $29,326,000. This year it's $67,179,000 minus $29,937,000.
Mr. Paganini asked what drove the majority of the 5% purchased services increase and was told that transportation costs are the cause.
Mrs. Pesce said the class size discussion was particularly painful to her because of all the work done to reduce the class sizes some years ago. She said there isn't another town in the State that needs all-day Kindergarten and universal preschool as much as Torrington does, but there isn't enough money or space.
Mr. Oliver agreed and said that conceptually Torrington has all the challenges that Bridgeport or Hartford has but does not receive the funding that follows with it. He said this is as responsible a budget as they can craft, while maintaining what they have and not eroding the school system further.
Mr. Bushka summarized that the Board of Education is looking for a $2,677,000 increase, partly due to the positions that used to be funded by grants, and potentially offset by $468,000 from the State.
Mr. Lamoin asked how the current under-spending of $324,000 year-to-date plays into this. Mrs. Kloczko said they are currently $100,000 to the good, but that could change any day. She also noted that we had a great winter, with no overtime needs, lower heating costs and no plowing.
Mr. Lamoin asked for an explanation of the Capital Budget plan. Mr. Traub explained they hired a consultant to do a facilities study this year. All buildings were examined and rated. The Middle School chiller system became a priority because they have an air handling situation.
Mr. Bushka questioned the High School window wall upgrade plan for 7.3 million. Mr. Traub said all the walls are windows at the high school, and the project size was cut in half during the renovations. It was not a full renovation, he said, and now the window walls leak. Mr. Traub added that the high school serves as the hub of storm communications yet does not have backup generation.
Mr. Lamoin asked about centralizing services between schools. Mr. Traub replied that this has been suggested at the Blue Ribbon Commission, but they are struggling with some union contract language and the ability to share certain machines. Mayor Bingham agreed that this makes complete sense and will be considered in union negotiations.
In answer to Mr. Scoville's question about coaches being cut, Mrs. Kloczko explained they don't have Department Chairs or team leaders, and their outside professional development has been cut. She explained the elementary schools' literacy, numeracy and math coaching positions.
Mrs. Pesce asked where the $250,000 went. Ms. Batchelder said $180,000 is for the chillers, $60,000 is for online learning, and $10,000 is for the Forbes School summer program. Mrs. Kloczko said the purpose of the summer program is to identify children who will regress during the summer. She said the Mayor's Reading Program has been successful in providing incentives for children to read.
Mr. Traub said the online learning credit recovery program was put into place in an effort to be proactive in implementing and assessing it. Mrs. Kloczko said a lot of time was well spent last year trying to figure out what can be done in an alternative education environment. One piece is online learning, another piece is internships, and another is smaller classroom sizes. These steps are being taken for high school drop out prevention, she said.
Ms. Cappabianca spoke as a member of the Board of Education Budget Committee. She wants taxpayers to understand that there is a cost to students if they don't get this budget. Their costs have increased in the last two years while they received a zero percent budget increase.
Mr. Traub thanked the Administration, full Board, and Facilities Manager for their efforts.
Mayor Bingham stated that the Board of Finance has only cut the Board of Education's budget once in the last seven years. He said he doesn't want any tension perceived to exist between the Board of Finance and the Board of Education. Mr. Oliver said Mayor Bingham's administration has been in support of what the Board of Education has recommended.
Mayor Bingham asked the Board if they would raise taxes if they were in the Council's shoes. The Board confirmed that they would. He said he recognizes the need to invest in education. He commended the Board of Education for the excellent job done by creating a budget with a good balance between being financially prudent and providing a good investment for our education system.
Mrs. Pesce commended the unions for what they've done. Mr. Joslyn said 40% of Torrington Board of Education employees are Torrington residents. Mr. Oliver said the employees need to be commended for their flexibility and cooperation throughout the negotiations, and accepting a zero percent wage increase.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Mr. Buska, seconded by Mr. Scoville, and unanimously approved, the meeting was adjourned
at 6:16 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
MINUTES -- PUBLIC HEARING
BOARD OF FINANCE & BOARD OF EDUCATION
MAY 1, 2012
A PUBLIC HEARING was held by the Board of Finance in the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, May 1, 20112 regarding the proposed budget for the Torrington Public Schools for the fiscal period of July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.
Present were Mayor Ryan Bingham, Board of Finance members Bill Lamoin, Mark Bushka, Thomas Scoville, Laurene Pesce, and Brian Paganini, Board of Education members David Oliver, Ellen Hoehne, Daniel Thibault, John Kissko, Christopher Rovero, Vincent Merola, Fiona Cappabianca, and Kenneth Traub, Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Kloczko, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Susan Domanico, Business Services Administrator Danielle Batchelder, Director of Human Services William Joslyn, Director of Facilities David Bascetta, City Comptroller Alice Proulx and City Clerk Joseph Quartiero.
Mayor Bingham called the public hearing to order at 6:27 p.m.
City Clerk Joseph Quartiero read the legal notice.
Mr. Richard LaPorta commended the Mayor on the excellent job he has done holding down the budget. He said our mill rate is too high, our taxes are too high and people in Torrington are hurting. He encouraged the Mayor to continue to hold the line, and find places to cut the budget.
Mr. Matthew Valenti, President of the Torrington Education Assn., expressed appreciation for the ratification of a contract that was helpful to the City. He said we have a great school system that we need to nurture, that he doesn't have enough music stands, and that he supports the Middle School chiller project. He pointed out that the Middle School computers haven't been upgraded since 2004. Mr. Valenti said the Board of Education should be commended for being as responsible as they could but yet not cutting so much that it would devastate education in Torrington.
Ms. Pam Hurley said Torringford School's award for excellence was one of the reasons she moved to Torrington. She said there has been a decline in the school system and it is disheartening to see that some services are no longer available, such as the unified art program. Ms. Hurley said she is willing to pay her share of taxes in order to help our schools and town be better.
Mr. William Moran said he understands parents and teachers concerns, but his concern is that we can't afford current expenses. He pointed out that 75% of the education budget is represented by salaries and benefits. As a business person when you're looking for budget cuts, he said, you look where the money is. He commended the unions that have agreed to hold the line, but when they speak of sacrifices there's only a small increase or no increase. He referenced the people who have no job or have jobs that are paying less, and are experiencing the same inflation in costs. Mr. Moran said there's no easy answer but the obvious one is the nation as a whole is not only broke, we're spending money we don't have and the state is doing the same. Torrington is not going to be getting any money of any significance from any
of these sources. He also said the schools' capital budget has been starved for years. Mr. Moran concluded that a reduction in personnel is the only one way to address that.
Mayor Bingham closed the public hearing at 6:40 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Paganini, and unanimously approved, the public hearing was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
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