Politics & Government

Full-Day Kindergarten, Diesel Prices, Layoffs Discussed at Board of Education Budget Presentation

Board of Education also reduces increase of original proposed 2011-12 budget.

Meeting Room A at the municipal center welcomed an audience of more than 50 people who came to Board of Education's budget presentation to the Board of Finance Monday night. 

Before presenting the final number, Board of Education Chairman Larry Craybas said the board "knew 2012 was going to be a difficult year with a lot of unknowns." Because of this, Craybas said the board has been planning for the 2011-12 budget since last May.

In the end, the proposed budget is $38,041,050 or a 1.43 percent increase from the previous year's budget. The original proposed budget was a 2.21 percent increase, but the board said it found ways to save money this week by working with unions concerning salaries.

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Board of Finance members J. Phillip Gallagher and James Roden expressed concerns about the proposed full-day kindergarten. Gallagher cited other local towns' struggle with paying for gull-day kindergarten.

"The issue that is different for them is that they have 93 percent of students in preschool before they start kindergarten, so they are off to a much better start than children coming into our kindergarten classes," Craybas said.

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Theresa Yonksy, director of fiscal services for the Board of Education, said about 75 percent of Bethel kindergartners have attended preschool, leaving them further behind.

Roden said he was troubled by potential costs and where the state was in mandating such a program. Superintendent Dr. Gary Chesley said though not yet on paper, the state is showing signs of mandating full-day kindergarten and that schools should start planning now. Chesley also said there wouldn't be any significant increase to create the full-day program, as teachers will be reshuffled to meet its needs.

Yonsky explained: "Currently we have six sections in first grade, we going to be reducing to five sections of first grade. And those people from those [eliminated] sections will then move to kindergarten, so those five sections will staffed at Rockwell and Berry with existing teachers."

Craybas also said creating a full-day kindergarten program will help the town of Bethel save money down the road.

"There are going to be savings," Craybas said. "There's enough evidence to say that we're going to be gaining from this...[preparing] these kids at a really young age as they move through the system."

Board of Finance Chairman William Slifkin also asked Yonsky about locking in on diesel fuel prices for buses, as prices "have gone through the roof."

According to Yonsky, prices have yet to locked in. "We buy 70,000 galleons of diesel fuel for the buses and I'm very tempted to lock in half of it at this point," she said. "We may get a better price down the road, but at least we catch it if it continues to go up."

Roden questioned the board about layoffs, whether or not literal lay-offs had occurred. According to Craybas, approximately 20 positions in the Bethel school system had been eliminated in the previous two years, but none this year. 

Yonksy said, if needed the board would reduce strategically, but that lay-offs weren't always the efficient way to save. "I don't look in terms of who is on the chessboard, I look into what is needed to meet the goals of the organization," she said. 

The final 10 budget presentations will be heard on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at the municipal center. 


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