JAY – School and Budget Committees approved a $10.46 million spending plan Thursday for 2006-07, a $36,323 decrease from the existing budget.
The School Committee voted unanimously on all articles while the budget panel had a couple of holdouts on a few articles. However, all articles are recommended by both committees.
The proposed budget is $1.86 million higher than the state’s essential programs and services funding model recommends for the Jay school system. The state recommends the school system operate on $7.67 million for certain programs and Jay’s budget proposes to spend $8.57 million for those same programs.
However, the budget does require $307,702.49 less in local tax money than the existing budget.
Prior to budget review, School Committee Chairman Clint Brooks said Superintendent Robert Wall did a thorough presentation on the proposal.
Wall is genuinely concerned not only with the advancement of “our education programs but equally sensitive to the residents of Jay who support them. It is reassuring to know we have a superintendent who works to bridge that crevice,” Brooks said reading from a prepared statement.
Brooks also shared some concerns he had with the budget.
“First, I would have liked to see the instructional portion of the overall budget shrink more significantly,” he said. “The cost of labor and benefits is the single highest budget commitment and yet ironically one of the most sensitive areas to address in budget deliberations. With several positions eliminated, the net savings should be greater, as this is not always a feasible approach on an annual basis. As committee members we must closely analyze newly created positions and thoroughly understand the need, as well as the criteria for measuring its effectiveness.”
Brooks also stated though conceptually the prekindergarten initiative does have some positives, he would have liked to have had a greater opportunity to debate the prekindergarten initiative.
Another concern, Brooks said is the continued stream of unfounded educational mandates both at the federal and state levels.
The budget proposal calls for a reduction of three middle school teachers, one high school teacher and half of a custodian position.
A kindergarten teacher would be changed to an early childhood teacher to teach 4-year-olds in a prekindergarten program at the elementary school. Though the money is in the budget to cover the new program, Wall said, it still needs school committee approval, which will be addressed at a later date.
The budget also supports adding a music teacher, increasing elementary library hours by one additional hour a day, adding a technology repair technician and picking up the cost of an education technician that had been paid for through federal funds previously.
There is an informational meeting on both the proposed town and school budgets, which total $16.29 million, at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, at the Jay Middle School cafeteria and a public hearing at 6 p.m. Monday, March 13, again at the school cafeteria. Residents will vote on Monday, April 24, at the Community Building.
The 15-article school warrant also proposes to establish a special services reserve account for unanticipated special education costs and to transfer $38,000 from the school department’s general fund into the account.
Another article authorizes the committee to spend $28,061 from the fire alarm reserve to renovate the food service kitchen at the elementary school. The alarms have already been installed using local and state money.
Voters will also be asked to consider $91,760 for adult education, which is in addition to the $10.46 million.
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