By VANESSA DE LA
TORRE
Courant Staff
Writer
June 26, 2008
Ordered to trim $1.4 million from the
2008-09 school budget, the board of education
Wednesday night protected district programs but axed about 19 staff positions —
cuts that are expected to affect class sizes from the elementary to high school
levels.
Among the reductions are 2.5 full-time teaching positions at
"The fact of the matter is, we have to respond to what the town has told
us," said board Chairman Terry Schmitt. Instead of eliminating music or
gifted and talented programs and pitting parent groups against each other,
Schmitt said, increasing class sizes was "the fairest, most equitable way
to take that pain ... and spread it to everyone."
The action comes after the town council adopted a $213.5 million municipal
budget Tuesday that is $2.4 million less than the original town spending plan
that was defeated in a referendum last week.
More than 7,000 voters rejected the budget, which included education spending. The
council directed the school board to make $1.4 million in cuts.
And there may be more budget reductions ahead: Judy Aron, vice president of the
West Hartford Taxpayers Association, said members voted Wednesday evening to
petition for a second referendum that would be held Sept. 30.
Along with cost-cutting, the board on Wednesday transferred $539,021 to the
town because the school-grounds staff is being consolidated with the public
works department, bringing the total amount of adjustments to $1.95 million.
The revised school budget is now $123.4 million, a 4.77 percent increase over
current spending.
The plan includes cutting 7.2 full-time elementary school teachers, a savings
of $490,800. But it will require raising the class size guidelines by one student
at each of the elementary schools. At the Charter Oak and Smith magnet schools,
that means 23 students in grades K to 3 classrooms, and 24 students in grades 4
and 5. All other schools will have guidelines of 24 students in grades K to 3,
with 28 students in grades 4 and 5 classrooms.
Resident Heather Ferguson-Hull told the board she was "heartbroken."
"To see class sizes go up to 28 ... with the achievement gap — I just
don't know how we're going to do it," said Ferguson-Hull, a 40-year-old
stay-at-home mom.
Superintendent David P. Sklarz said that while the
guidelines have changed, only some elementary school teachers will be faced
with an extra student.
"The majority of our classes are what we would consider reasonable. ... We
are not going to destroy education as we do it in
Other district jobs that were eliminated Wednesday are:
•Two high school teaching positions, saving $128,000. Administrators will
decide which classes might not be offered.
•One full-time performance music teacher, a cut that is expected to mostly
affect middle school students, saving $64,000.
•A full-time middle school liaison who helps parents new to the country or
unfamiliar with the
•The district's magnet school coordinator, a part-time position, saving
$42,650. Some parents at Wednesday's meeting argued against the cut, saying
racial imbalance issues that necessitated the magnet program at Charter Oak and
Smith still exist.
•Four full-time, year-round office staffers at the middle and high schools,
saving $164,133.
•One clerical staffer who works in the district's central office in town hall,
saving $28,910.
In addition, the board made a $40,000 trim in plant
and facilities equipment purchases and counted $200,000 in expected energy
savings toward its reduction.