Board of Finance

Minutes of the Special Meeting of March 10, 2005

Present: Ralph C. Gold, chairman, Celia Senzer, Sally Hart, Tom Bechtle, Earl Brecher, Roger Kane, members. Anne Kosciusko, alternate. For the Board of Education, Barbara Gold, chairman, Susan Gingert, clerk, Wynne Kavanagh and Phil Hart members. Kathleen Fitzgibbons, principal, Gordon Ridgway, first selectman.

Barbara Gold presented the Board of Education budget for FY 2006. Of the total proposed, she said, only 8% is discretionary; the rest is set in stone either by union contracts or through Region I. Three major sources of additions in the budget are a 15% increase in health insurance costs; legal costs projected for the negotiation with the certified teachers; and the upsurge in fuel oil costs.

These increases are partially offset by reduction in staff of one teacher and reduction in time for the kindergarten position. Both come about mainly because of decreases in the population at CCS, currently 145, down to an expected 141 in FY 2006. Also the transition program has been cancelled. Pre-purchasing supplies will reduce certain line items, although it has bloated lines in the FY 2005 budget.

The CCS portion of the proposed education budget has gone up 4.3% for FY 2006.

Some highlights:

Staff changes, in addition to those cited above, include dropping one teacher aide position, adding a recess aide for two hours a day and adding four hours a day for a custodian position, needed because of the increase in the school’s cleanable space.

Computer maintenance and system support has reached $20,000 a year. The computers are cleaned each summer.

Insurance increases for property, casualty and workers’ compensation have increased modestly, according to very early estimates provided by CIRMA. The property estimate assumes half of the current builders’ risk insurance now covered by the town; the full $4,260 will be added to the school’s insurance bills when the building project is fully concluded.

Region I’s proposed budget is up 18% over the current year. More than half of this increase is due to an increase of 9 ($14,350 apiece) students to the group at the high school. Cornwall’s high school cost share in the region will move from 10.42% to 11.97% because of this and other shifts in the school’s population. Pupil Services and administrative services also increased but were offset by a lower assessment – currently 7.087% to 6.595% next year. Mrs. Gold noted that there have been downward revisions in these figures which have not yet been reviewed by the Board of Education. These figures will be available at the March 17 meeting

Estimates of current year expenditures showed significant increases in several areas such as contracted services (for electrical ballasts); painting; general instruction (math textbooks consistent with Region I); and maintenance equipment. With the exception of the textbooks, most of the increases came about through integrating the old school with the newly constructed addition. The dollars were available in the budget because of personnel changes which occurred early in the year.

Celia Senzer asked how these changes and the pre-purchases might be better accounted for. Barbara Gold remarked that the practice of “rebating” Region I budget funds at the end of the year began the early purchasing habit. It has been in and out of favor with the Board of Finance over time. Ralph Gold asked if such practices were “desirable – no – but are they workable in the real world – yes.”

The board discussed how best to limit these mid-season changes or at least to be better informed about them. The board made it clear that buying new pencils for next year was okay and relocating a computer hub to more accessible space was not okay since it was a major expenditure which should be planned.

Phil Hart reported on the Region I budget which, he said, was arrived at by cutting every single line. He pointed out that the Region I board is challenged every year by the need to offer a quality, wide-ranging academic program to a small student body.

Mrs. Gold reminded the board that the reductions produced by Region I and in the health insurance lines are not printed in the budget presented.

The meeting adjourned at 8:35 pm.

Lisa Lansing

Clerk