Public Invited To Comment On Region One Budget Cuts


FALLS VILLAGE — Perhaps before the month is out, the Region One Board of Education will decide how it intends to cut its budget increase for the coming fiscal year to less than 5 percent.

Much of the heavy lifting has already been done, but the board will consider two options when it holds a special meeting and budget workshop at 5 p.m. next Thursday, Feb. 22, in the library at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.Where the Cuts May Be Made

Board members agree the main culprit in next year’s proposed budget is the "purchased services" line of the pupil services office. That section of the budget is expected to increase by almost 80 percent as a result of the addition of a handful of disabled students whose needs cannot be met without placement to private institutions.

The region is required to pay for the cost of educating children with disabilities, even if those students must be sent to schools in other cities or states.

Including transportation costs for those students, that will bring the purchased services line up to about $1.4 million.

Both the pupil services and central offices cut funds from their proposed budgets last month. Pupil services Director Theresa Terry has taken $148,116 from her budget for a total cut of 3.5 percent. She achieved those savings by eliminating three paraprofessional positions, one certified position and two part-time certified positions.

The central office, known as the Regional Schools Services Center, includes the superintendent’s and business manager’s office. The central office cut 1 percent, or a little more than $10,000, from its budget.

Earlier this month, high school Principal Gretchen Foster put two proposals on the table. Both of Foster’s proposals would eliminate one full-time equivalent and save almost $90,000 in salaries and benefits.

Declining enrollments have made it possible for her to cut individual class sections, but those cuts could result in several full-time teachers being reduced to part-time. The other proposal would eliminate the family and consumer science department, which includes home economics.

Where it Stands Now


The current Region One draft budget, which includes pupil services, the central office and the high school, stands at $13,210,862, or a 4.97 percent increase over last year.

Before the recent rounds of cuts, the increase stood at 7.25 percent. The proposed high school budget is $7,764,755, or a 1.79 percent rise; pupil services is $4,456,427, a rise of 11.54 percent; and the central office is $859,681, a rise of 1.71 percent.

At the Feb. 22 meeting and workshop, there will be ample time for public comment. The board’s final workshop will be held March 5, with the public hearing April 4 and the referendum in May.

The fiscal year begins July 1, 2007. The regional budget includes the cost of running Housatonic Valley Regional High School; the central office for the six regional elementary schools, including salaries for the superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager; and pupil services, which handles special education needs for all the regional schools. The six towns of the region on North Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Sharon and Salisbury.

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