MINUTES
BOARD OF FINANCE & BOARD OF EDUCATION
APRIL 30, 2013
A SPECIAL JOINT MEETING of the Board of Finance and Board of Education was held in the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, April, 2013.
Present were Mayor Ryan Bingham, Corporation Counsel Raymond Rigat, Board of Finance members Bill Lamoin, Mark Bushka, Thomas Scoville, and Frank Rubino, Board of Education members Ellen Hoehne, Daniel Thibault, John Kissko, Christopher Rovero, Vincent Merola, Fiona Cappabianca, Karl Brady and Chairman 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
Chairman Traub explained that their budget proposal is formatted to align with City Hall software, and a 5-year history was completed for each posting. He said the Torrington Public Schools have been struggling with finances for the last several years and noted that people are leaving because our school system is not competitive enough.
Mr. Traub said Torrington needs to become marketable to other districts because students now have the right to choose to go somewhere else just because they want to. This will become very costly for the City of Torrington, he said, at a cost of $7500 per student on top of our in-district cost for students to attend school outside of Torrington.
Mr. Traub said we have to stop this flight and look into programs that other areas don't have. As the biggest city in northwest Connecticut, a lot of people look to us. He said if we can attract students from other towns to come to Torrington, our cost per pupil will go down.
Mr. Traub said the Board presented a goal to the Superintendent to align and reconfigure 6th through 12th grade secondary education to align with common core standards and allow more flexibility in course curriculum to help students move from 6th grade to 12th grade with the best advantage. He said they will look at the Middle and High Schools as one school with two campuses.
He state that another goal was to institute an options program with an added .2 staff member to look at internships and partnerships to build a program that's not offered anywhere else. We need to make ourselves distinct, and find ways to attract students to our program, he said. Mrs. Koczko said Torrington needs to meet the needs of all students within our district, to make them career and college ready. She noted that although competition is stiff, Torrington High School has graduating students going to very good schools, and our dropout rate has decreased by 8%.
Mr. Traub explained that this budget contains only what currently exists, with no estimated figures to cover predicted mandates or students going out-of-district. Because the Governor has mandated pre-K special education, Mr. Traub said, the budget includes funds to develop our own program.
Mayor Bingham asked if all eligible students are considered in student enrollment trends. Mrs. Kloczko said enrollment has remained flat for years in Torrington but the numbers are dipping in surrounding towns. She said that kindergarten enrollment remains steady, but where we have a significant drop is between 8th and 9th grade.
Mr. Traub said that historical increases, and projected mandates, along with their impacts, have been removed from this budget. He noted that the Board undertook a very long, painstaking effort reduce the budget to just cost, with only contractual and already-passed mandates.
Mr. Scoville noted that the Board has been able to control the Special Education costs that had been spiraling out of control in the past. Mr. Traub said they continue to put a lot of effort into Special Education, with evaluations and setting up programs to keep the in-house. Mrs. Kloczko added that programs for children with special needs require supplemental services that go into the cost. Mr. Traub said those programs are part of the marketing the Board wants to do in the region.
Mr. Traub reported some changes in this year's budget including computer upgrades to prepare for online testing, energy savings from a new chiller system, professional technical services and purchased services. He said salaries and benefits are contractual and health insurance was reduced from an anticipated 13% to 6.1%.
Mr. Traub noted that the city's portion has increased unproportionately because the State froze ECS funding in 2009. He said that when State legislators reported on this to the Board of Education, Senator Witkos pointed out that the State of CT is approximately $732,000,000 a year in the hole from fully funding ECS the way the formula is written.
Mr. Traub said mandates and requirements continue but the funding is stopped, putting a larger burden on taxpayers.
Mr. Traub directed Board of Finance members to a comparison of wage increases showing that Board of Education employees averaged a 1.28% increase per employee in wages over the last five years, while City employees received 1.76%. He said both increases are well below the cost of living increase. He noted that this shows how employee increases are being addressed in tight economic times, as bargaining units tightened up their increases.
Board members were then directed to the historical enrollment, staffing, grants, and revenue data, and a historical comparison of free and reduced lunch across all schools. Mrs. Kloczko noted that one thing she is proud to say is that Torrington can maintain small class size especially in primary grades.
Mr. Rubino suggested a $30,000 reduction of unemployment compensation should be considered. He credited the Board of Education for their time and dedication in the budget process.
Mr. Traub pointed out some of the savings achieved in areas such as facilities and technology. He said the new lights and chillers at the Middle School will save $40,000 in electricity. He added that they hope to reinvest rebates and refunds, and hope to do the same with the solar project at Forbes. Mrs. Kloczko said they have a major focus on facilities as they are trying to get 5 out of 7 schools into pristine condition, leaving minimal requirements, because Torrington has been selected for an ADA audit.
Mr. Traub reported that Torrington will be one of the first districts in Connecticut to switch to all-propane buses for a fuel savings of $212,000 a year. He said this will take Torrington off diesel fuel, help us stay energy efficient, and reduce our footprint on the world.
Mr. Bushka clarified some line item changes and the $61,000 technology increase. Mrs. Kloczko explained it's for more software, to institute a 'Discovery' program at the Middle School which allows for live streaming instruction in science and mathematics. She further explained out-of-district costs with regard to the Education Reform Act of 2012 and the savings that could be achieved if in-district programs could be developed. She added that our class size is very good compared to similar-sized districts.
Mr. Lamoin questioned the anticipated Capital Improvement budget. Mr. Traub replied that last year's budget was $608,380 but because they had to move up some technology to meet testing standards, and do some preliminary roof work for the Forbes roof project, they actually expended $858,380.
Mrs. Cappabianca reiterated that because demographics have changed, a class size of 18 or 20 students is very different if it contains children with disabilities. She noted that if we're not providing students with what they need at the elementary levels, there will be larger problems at the middle school and high school. She said that small class size puts interventions in place to catch students before special education is needed. This is going to save money in the long run, she said.
Mr. Traub noted that parents are concerned about diminishing property values that happen as the school system diminishes. He said that businesses moving into a new area evaluate the school system as much as they evaluate the tax base. Mr. Traub said the Board of Education is trying to make our school system something that can draw neighboring towns in, to try to generate revenue and make a school system that will draw business so families have a good place to send their kids. It's important, he said, and a big issue, but we need to move this district forward and maintain the buildings.
Mayor Bingham asked the Board of Education if every member is willing to pay a tax increase based on what their proposed budget is. The members nodded their assent.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Mr. Buska, seconded by Mr. Scoville, and unanimously approved, the meeting was adjourned
at 6:19 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
A PUBLIC HEARING was held by the Board of Finance in the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 regarding the proposed budget for the Torrington Public Schools for the fiscal period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.
Present were Mayor Ryan Bingham, Corporation Counsel Raymond Rigat, Board of Finance members Bill Lamoin, Mark Bushka, Thomas Scoville, and Frank Rubino, Board of Education members Ellen Hoehne, Daniel Thibault, John Kissko, Christopher Rovero, Vincent Merola, Fiona Cappabianca, Karl Brady and Chairman 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 6:20 p.m.
Asst. City Clerk Carol Anderson read the legal notice.
Mr. Joe Friscia contrasted the proposed additions of RTI teachers, a Guidance Director, a third Assistant Principal, a certified nursing assistant program and a PreK teacher with the proposed cuts such as the elimination of Junior Varsity and Freshman high school sports, the swimming program, Middle school athletics and the redesign of the TAG program. He noted that Middle and High school honor rolls are chock full of students who participate in music and athletics. He said he is willing to pay more taxes as long as the money is spent wisely and not on items that only benefit the bottom 10% of our students.
Mr. Traub replied that the RTI Teachers and Guidance Director are mandated by the State, the third Assistant Principal is to allow the Middle School and High School to merge and the JV and Freshmen Sports and swimming program are not part of the budget cuts. He said the Middle School athletics are being reduced, and the TAG program was added back in. Regarding the focus on the bottom 10% of the students, Mr. Traub noted that all
businesses get evaluated based on some criteria. The new evaluation from the State is based almost solely on the dropout rate, he said. Mr. Traub cautioned that if we want to maintain State funding, we have to get that dropout rate down.
Ms. Stacy DeLoy spoke as a parent, public school elementary teacher and taxpayer. She said her greatest concern is class size. She said that there is a notable difference in having as few as five extra students in a classroom, as the school day is structured, demanding, and limited. Ms. DeLoy said that in order to make an impact on students' education, smaller class sizes are a necessity.
Mrs. Deb Brown stated that laying off 52 employees would be devastating. She said that the more children you have in a classroom, the harder it is to talk to each child and get to know each child. Mrs. Brown said that the most important thing is teacher/student interaction, and noted that we haven't had budget increases in a lot of years. This is the year we have to do it, she said, if we want to save our education system.
Ms. Beth Dean said it's important that we support both the Education and City budget, and expressed her gratitude to the Fire Department, Police Department and education system in Torrington. She noted the success of her family members who are products of our education system, as well as our own Mayor. Ms. Dean said we need to maintain programs, staffing, and the funding for them. She added that she's not thrilled about paying more taxes as we all work hard for our money, and she urged the Boards to be fair and reasonable.
Ms. Keyana Perry spoke as single mother of a son who needed extra attention to get his work done, to get focused, and to catch up with everyone else. She said he thrived very well in Torrington schools and she expressed her gratitude to teachers and staff. Ms. Perry announced that her son has now received a high arts honor, and is the only student from THS to receive that award. She said she hopes her story is an inspiration for the teachers who have been doing an awesome job, because there are other kids out there who need that support.
Mr. Lou Reynolds requested flat budgets, listed some savings that could be realized, and added that he wishes that
that when the Mayor asks for a zero increase, it be submitted as such.
Mayor Bingham closed the public hearing at 6:44 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Mr. Rubino, seconded by Mr. Traub, and unanimously approved, the public hearing was adjourned at 6:44 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
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