Budget Info from Superintendent Karen Baldwin

From Superintendent of Schools Karen Baldwin

The Suffield Board of Education operating budget will move forward to the budget vote on Wednesday, May 9. The 2012-2013 board of education budget reflects a $502,000 increase over the current year, or 1.6 percent.

This is the fourth budget in a row that requests increases of 2 percent or less. Education related revenues paid to the town and not reflected in the board of education budget will increase by $410,000. Of significance in the board budget is the fact that one expense item, employee benefits – mainly health insurance – will increase by $485,000, or 97 percent of the school district's total requested increase.

Salaries and employee benefits represent 83 percent of the total budget. These two items will increase by almost $730,000, which is $227,000 more than the total requested increase. The difference is made up by reducing other categories.

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The board of education's 2012-2013 budget will achieve savings through a reduction in electricity usage of $120,000 by installing more efficient light fixtures in all schools, eliminating two central office administration positions and creating one non-union senior administration position, a total reduction of staff headcount by two positions, re-designing bus routes to eliminate one bus from the fleet, re-allocating responsibilities among non-certified staff and achieving communications technology savings by combining purchases with other town departments.

The budget supports student learning through re-allocating teaching resources to support a full-time reading intervention position at the high school as well as providing part-time teaching positing in both fine arts and personal finance at .

Professional development funding in the district has been increased to support the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. The budget also supports the installation of a wireless technology platform in all of the district schools.

The town budget vote will take place in the Suffield High School auditorium on Wednesday, May 9 at 7 p.m.