BRUNSWICK — Following steep decreases in state and federal education funding, the Brunswick School Board on Thursday unanimously approved a 2012-13 budget that asks the town to boost local education spending by $2.4 million.

The approved budget comes in half a percent above last year’s.

The bottom line — reached Thursday night after two and a half hours of deliberation — comes to $33,491,029. The figure is just more than last year’s total budget of $33,301,672.

At the end of a weeks-long budget process that followed an early February announcement that Brunswick could expect $1.24 million more in state aid cuts than originally anticipated, Superintendent of Schools Paul Perzanoski said, “We came out a lot better than anticipated, but I’m still concerned that we haven’t addressed all of our needs in the process.” approved Thursday cuts six teaching positions, most of which are now vacant, across the elementary, junior high, and high school levels.

Additional position cuts in the proposed budget include two educational technicians, one bus driver, one custodian, one administrative secretary and six coaching stipends for assistant coaching positions and freshman tennis coaches at the high school.

Despite those staff reductions, Perzanoski said that the spending plan will retain all of the district’s current Advanced Placement and honors offerings, requiring more teachers to take on six classes to do so.

The budget, which the School Board will present to the Town Council next week, also makes room for additions that Perzanoski said are “essential needs for next year,” including one kindergarten teacher, one first grade math teacher and $66,000 for the district’s K-5 math program.

The board also made adjustments to the spending plan, including the elimination of more than $40,000 in funds for interactive whiteboards and projector units in order to fund a technology assistant position at Harriet Beecher Stowe (HBS) Elementary School.

Perzanoski said the remaining needs include two psychologists and additional second grade teachers he plans to add at the nearest opportunity.

On Thursday, the board gave Perzanoski approval to hire psychologists if funds become available through the retire/rehire program this year.

A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for May 17. A state-mandated referendum on the proposed school spending plan will take place on June 12.

Taxes

The school budget increase of nearly $2.4 million as proposed would trigger a tax rate increase of 7.69 percent if paid by property taxes alone, according to town finance director John Eldridge.

But that rate increase could still change depending on how the town might propose to pay for — or not pay for — that budget increase.

Based on a tax rate chart from Eldridge, a 7.5 percent increase would mean around $350 more per year in taxes on a property assessed at $200,000.

In March, Town Manager Gary Brown announced that $350,000 budgeted for road improvements will be offset by state funds. By diverting that $350,000 in road repair funds already budgeted for public works to education, the tax rate increase would be reduced to 6.55 percent.

Reaction

Kate Kalajainen, a member of the group Brunswick Community United that has been advocating for the town to raise more locally to support schools, said following Thursday’s meeting that she was disappointed by the process to reach the approved budget.

At the outset, Perzanoski presented the board with a host of five options, with option one — asking $3 million more from the town — keeping all current programs and staff and option five — asking $1.8 million more from the town — making the deepest cuts.

“(The board) asked (Perzanoski) what he thought he could handle and he said (Option) 3 was the lowest they could go,” Kalajainen said.

Over what the board ultimately approved, Option 3 would have retained three full-time high school teaching positions in history, science and English, and one halftime teaching position in math.

Selection of Option 4 to start consideration passed by a narrow 5-4 margin, with board members Rich Ellis, Brenda Clough, Corrinne Perreault and Janet Connors opposed to that starting point.

Ellis, who pushed most strongly for higher budget options Thursday and expressed concern about the burden on teachers to keep open all AP and honors courses with reductions in staff, told the board that he was initially disappointed by the choice, but that he “would be less sad-faced tomorrow.”

Adjustments to Option 4 put the bottom line $200,000 under the Option 2 spending plan Ellis, who chairs the board’s budget committee, proposed at the outset of the meeting.

Still, Kalajainen said the board “should have started with the best option.”

Kalajainen said the Brunswick Community United group has not decided if or how its members would proceed as the school budget moves to the Town Council for consideration in May, but she said the group will not go away.

She said the group that has amassed approximately 700 petition signatures has talked informally about making endorsements.

“We want to be a group that would endorse candidates for Town Council and School Board,” Kalajainen said.

Looking ahead

Based on future projections of state revenue and carryovers in local surpluses, Perzanoski said the district is expected to take further hits in years to come.

Next year, that will likely mean another $1.8 million decrease and in 2015, $1.4 million.

Other than a bill pending in Washington to fund teaching positions, which could bring an estimated $700,000 back to the district, Perzanoski said there’s little that would change those projected decreases.

“Our hope is that 2015 will be the last year before it levels out,” Perzanoski said.

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Total Budget:	$33,491,029
Last Year’s Budget:	$33,301,672
Loss in State/Federal Revenue	$2,183,463
Requested Increase in Local Contribution:	$2,368,544