BRUNSWICK
The Brunswick school board voted 8-1 Wednesday to send a revised budget back to the town council withalmosta0percent increase.
Under the latest proposed cuts, next year’s proposed school budget stands at more than $35.578 million, which is $7,812 more than this year’s spending plan. That’s an increase of 0.02 percent, according to figures provided by Superintendent Paul Perzanoski.
In April, the board had sent a budget request of $36.2 million to the town council.
However, the council has told the school board that it wants an increase of no more than 3.5 percent to the combined municipal and school budget. To meet that goal, the district is looking to cut around $668,500.
Cuts will come from several sources.
The district will look for other funding sources during the next couple of months to pay for new math textbooks to the tune of $43,000. About $40,000 will be cut from high school athletic transportation.
And the district will likely be cutting personnel to the tune of $88,500.
“We’ve exhausted everything else,” Perzanoski said.
The district was able to come up with other sources of revenue, including an additional $110,000 in funding from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and an additional $42,000 in bond revenue.
Christopher McCarthy was the sole school board member to vote against the budget.
“The problem I have with what we’re doing is tied to the notion of not spending correctly on the long term on a number of things, and that we keep kicking it down the road,” McCarthy said. “I cannot vote for this budget tonight.”
Chairwoman Michele Joyce said she was “not happy with the cuts at all,” but said there was little choice.
Previously proposed cuts include:
• The facilities budget will be cut by $36,100, including a $27,500 request to replace tiles at the high school.
• To save $92,000, the district will not acquire any new buses, despite the fact that the district could be reimbursed that cost from the state.
• Perzanoski reduced the proposed technology increase by almost $42,000. Sue Woodhams, the school department’s director of technology integration, had originally requested nearly a half million dollars in spending for new and replacement technology, including replacing desktop and laptop computers, digital overhead projectors, software licenses and networking upgrades. After the latest cut, the district’s technology budget will receive about half of what it asked for.
Perzanoski withdrew requests for new personnel, including:
• Funds for a proposed, mandated teaching position for students struggling with literacy in high school will be paid for through the elimination of a half-time guidance councilor and reducing the hours of a full-time technology teacher to half-time. That literacy teacher position is expected to cost $87,727. The school board’s decision to cut those positions was unanimous on Wednesday.
• A request for two proposed ed techs, at a cost of almost $84,000, has been withdrawn. The district will use existing staff at the junior high and Coffin schools.
The town council will hold a workshop on the combined municipal and school budgets tonight.
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
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