Redding Pilot
Redding
Region 9 Board OKs ‘frugal’ budget

Mar 25, 2008

Joan Lownds
Hersam Acorn Newspapers

After some fine-tuning, the Region 9 school board unanimously approved a $20,481,270 budget for Joel Barlow High School Board for the 2008-09 school year. This represents a 5.95% increase over the current budget.

“It’s a frugal budget, one that is in the best interest of the kids, and the product of a heck of a lot of work,” said Huntley Stone, (Easton) chairman of the school board. The spending plan was approved by the school board at its final budget workshop on March 13.

Easton will bear a 46.4% share of the budget, or $9,503,309, and Redding’s share will be 53.6%, or $10,977,961. As a result, the increase for Easton will be 9.12%, while Redding’s increase will be 3.35%. The cost to run Barlow is absorbed proportionately between Easton and Redding, based on student population. This year, Easton has 20 more students at Barlow, while Redding has five fewer.

The budget’s fate will now be determined by the voters, when it goes to referendum on May 6. “The Region 9 Financial Oversight Committee, administration, and Region 9 board of education have worked very hard to place this reasonable budget in the hands of the voters. We look forward to voter approval,” said Arthur Poltrack, school board member, (Redding).

The final budget was trimmed from the original 6.9% increase proposed by Barlow’s principal Thomas McMorran, and it now represents “painful cuts,” he said. However, Mr. McMorran said it still reflects “our core beliefs, mission statements, and commitment to the needs of our students...Every budget conversation we have always begins with the question: ‘Is it in the best interest of the kids?’”

Still, some board members questioned whether the cuts went too deep, especially the removal of $1,005 in funding for staff flu shots, which are administered by the Barlow school nurse.

Cathy Gombos, school board member (Easton) said this cut was counter-productive. “If we take the flu shots out of the budget, and the 70 staff members go to their personal physicians to get the flu shot, we would incur the cost of the shot, about $85; the cost of an office visit, about $100; the administration fee for the shot, about $25; minus the $15 co-pay the staff member pays. This could be as high as $200 per employee to our self-insurance fund or approximately $14,000,” she said.
The board agreed, and the $1,005 in funding for flu shots was reinstated.

Julia Pemberton, school board member, (Redding) also took issue with reductions in curriculum expenses. “I don’t think we can continue to cut curriculum every year,” Ms. Pemberton said. “I don’t see how we can get to where we need to go if we can’t commit to improving curriculum. It’s penny-wise and pound foolish.”

The biggest cutbacks in the budget will come from a $36,686 reduction in Humanities summer hours and repairs to musical instruments; and a $34,665 reduction in science textbooks, software and equipment. Also, $4,226 will be cut from guidance curriculum work and workshops, along with $3,380 cut from the special education summer curriculum and supplies.

Mr. McMorran said the Humanities summer hours were scheduled for teachers “to review and revise the Western Civilization curriculum and the English curricula. That would have meant that several social studies and several English teachers would have met for a couple of days this summer to work with the department chair on the unit designs, content, timelines, and classroom strategies of the courses.” Such reviews occur every few years, but Mr. McMorran said that while the meetings are important, “we feel that we can get through a year managing our curricula through department meetings and study groups.”

As for the school’s musical instruments, which include pianos, cellos, and kettledrums, he explained that these “require periodic maintenance. Some of these instruments might have to be kept in storage until such time as we can have them serviced, but we will still make beautiful music.”

Before the board voted to approve the budget, several parents urged the board to support the $21,044 allocated for the boys swim team and $16,875 for the indoor track team. CIAC rules also allow girls to participate on the swim team.

Jim Gibney of Redding, a swim team parent, said the swim team has been “self-funded for two years” and has expanded from 12 to 24 students and continues to improve competitively.

The school board kept the funding for both teams in the budget.
Now it’s up to the voters.

“I hope the parents will take a special interest in supporting this budget,” said Dr. Allen Fossbender, superintendent of schools.

© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers