I am sharing by way of copy and paste, a post from Jen Raymond that outlines the 3 budget proposals for Sanford Schools for my friends whose children and grandchildren will be affected by the vote To all my Sanford friends (and their parents or relatives that live there): Again, the school budget is being chopped (while there already is nothing to chop). School committee is meeting this Thursday to decide on which budget to present to voters. Many public attendees are in the camp of 0 budget increase, which would be nice, but not realistic. If you care at all for the children in schools, please attend the meeting and support education. I have copied and pasted the 3 budget scenarios that are out there. ** if the 0 budget is passed, I lose my job and 1 librarian will run 3 elementary schools! Crazy. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sanford Schools Face Devastating Budget Reductions Sanford, ME – April 1, 2014 The Sanford School Committee has identified $2.6 million dollars in potential budget reductions to meet the Budget Committee’s expectation of a zero percent tax increase for the coming fiscal year. Educational programs, staff, activities, athletics, textbooks, supplies, technology and maintenance items were all considered as part of a comprehensive budget reduction package. This is the second year of significant reductions in the school budget due in part to receiving less revenue from the state, a slight decrease in student enrollment and lower city valuation. Lower city valuation results in a mill rate increase required by the state which shifts more of the burden for funding education to local taxpayers. Business Administrator Scott Wyman stated, “Even with a flat school budget the mill rate increase from the state will require Sanford to raise an additional $650,000 in taxes.” According to School Superintendent David Theoharides, staff members whose positions may be eliminated or reduced were contacted on Tuesday after a special School Committee meeting held Monday night. Theoharides stated, “Cuts of this magnitude will significantly impact our ability to provide the types of educational opportunities that our children deserve.” The Sanford School Committee originally proposed a budget for the 2014-15 school year that included increases in fixed cost items such as utilities, insurance and employee contract obligations, as well as funds to try to restore many of the programs and staff positions that were eliminated last year. The original budget included an increase of approximately $2 million dollars which would have resulted in a mill increase of about $1.98. For a $160,000 home that translates to $316.80 increase in taxes. At their meeting on Monday night, the School Committee prepared three scenarios requested by the Budget Committee. The first scenario creates a zero percent tax increase and will require reducing the school budget by $2.6 million dollars to the same level as last year. This scenario results in significant cuts to existing programs, athletics, and staff. The second scenario results in a mill rate increase of 85¢ and would provide an additional $1 million dollars to meet the fixed costs needs of the School Department while preserving most of the existing programs, activities, athletic teams and staff. An 85¢ mill increase would translate to $136 property tax increase for a $160,000 home. The third scenario would allow for meeting fixed cost increases and allow for restoration of certain budget reductions from last summer, including athletic teams and elementary educational technicians for grade K and 1. The third scenario would provide $2 million dollars of additional funding to the School Department and would require a mill rate increase of $1.67 or approximately a $267 increase in property taxes for a $160,000 home. The proposed budget scenarios will be presented to Budget Committee this Thursday, April 3rd at 6:00 PM in the Chambers of City Hall. An opportunity for public comment is provided at the beginning of the meeting. Theoharides stated, “It is important for our citizens to understand the impact of these budget reductions on our children’s education and to speak up if they want to maintain the quality and diversity of the programs and opportunities that our schools provide.” Sanford School Department Budget – Proposed Zero Percent Tax Increase Scenario #1 This proposal results in a zero percent tax increase and eliminates or does not fund the following: Kindergarten Ed Techs (6) $175,000 1st Grade Ed Techs (6) $175,000 Supplies for English as Second Language $5,000 Pre-K Program $80,991 Career Coordinator at SRTC $84,983 JH Soccer Program $9,572 9th Grade Soccer Program $7,941 High School Summer School $12,500 Playground Monitors $11,000 Kids School Club – After School Academic Program $198,000 Math Remediation Program $29,265 Safety Management Program $5,000 Accountant for Business Office $62,800 Boiler Maintenance Contract $78,658 Maintenance Staff Substitutes $12,500 School Nutrition Program Expenses $6,000 Special Ed IEP Coordinator at MCS/Lafayette $21,000 High School Intramural Program $10,000 Special Ed Math Curriculum $37,000 Health Insurance Reduction $200,000 Technology - Charging Carts - Willard $4,500 iPads for Elementary School $32,600 iPad / Technology Repairs $5,000 Fund SRTC EMS/Fire through Perkins Grant $60,000 Internet Connectivity Upgrade for BRIDGE $7,500 Administrator Assistants at SHS $10,000 Fund EMS/Fire/Business Equipment - Capital Plan $40,000 Student NWEA Testing $30,000 High School English teacher $70,000 Additional First Grade Teacher $60,000 Staff Tuition Reimbursement Reduction $25,000 Staff Travel Reduction $10,000 Occupational Therapist $38,220 Occupational Therapist Reduction 4 days/week $20,000 Social Worker Reduction to 4 days/week $20,000 Psychological Services Reduction 1 day/week $21,000 Jobs For Maine Graduates Teacher $24,000 School Resource Officer $70,000 Transportation Reductions $25,000 Equipment/Supplies Reductions at all schools $30,000 Reduction for Tuition for College Courses $3,000 2 Teacher Librarians – Elementary Schools $120,000 Administrator - Central Office $120,000 Administrator SHS/SRTC $80,000 Athletic Reduction – HS Golf and Tennis Teams $12,417 Gifted and Talented Coordinator $70,000 2 Teachers at SJHS $120,000 Athletics Program Reduction - HS Swimming $17,830 Eliminate All JH Sports - Become Intramurals $50,000 CJL Café Tables Replacements $40,000 CJL Stage Curtain $8,000 WSSR-TV Equipment Reductions $25,000 Playground Maintenance - Wood Chips $3,820 SHS Foreign Language Teacher $60,000 Technology Reductions - LED/LCD Projectors $25,000 Field Trips Reductions - All Schools $10,000 Textbook Reductions – All Schools $3,000 TOTAL REDUCTIONS FROM PROPOSED BUDGET $2,635,896 Sanford School Department Budget – Proposed 85¢/Mill Tax Increase Scenario #2 This scenario maintains most existing school programs and staff while providing approximately an additional $1 million dollars to fund fixed cost increases in the budget. The following budget reductions would be required from the originally proposed School Department Budget: Kindergarten Ed Techs (6) $175,000 1st Grade Ed Techs (6) $175,000 Supplies for English as Second Language $5,000 Career Coordinator at SRTC $84,983 High School Summer School $12,500 Playground Monitors $11,000 Kids School Club – After School Academic Program $198,000 Math Remediation Program $29,265 Safety Management Program $5,000 Accountant for Business Office $62,800 Boiler Maintenance Contract $78,658 Maintenance Staff Substitutes $12,500 School Nutrition Program Expenses $6,000 Special Ed IEP Coordinator at MCS/Lafayette $21,000 Special Ed Math Curriculum $37,000 Health Insurance Reduction $200,000 Technology - Charging Carts - Willard $4,500 iPads for Elementary School $32,600 iPad / Technology Repairs $5,000 Fund SRTC EMS/Fire through Perkins Grant $60,000 Internet Connectivity Upgrade for BRIDGE $7,500 Administrator Assistants at SHS $10,000 Fund EMS/Fire/Business Equipment - Capital Plan $40,000 Student NWEA Testing $30,000 High School English teacher $70,000 Staff Tuition Reimbursement Reduction $25,000 Staff Travel Reduction $10,000 Occupational Therapist $38,220 Occupational Therapist Reduction 4 days/week $20,000 Social Worker Reduction to 4 days/week $20,000 Psychological Services Reduction 1 day/week $21,000 TOTAL REDUCTIONS FROM PROPOSED BUDGET $1,507,526 Sanford School Department Budget – Proposed $1.67/Mill Tax Increase Scenario #3 This scenario provides an additional $2 million dollars of funding to the school to maintain existing programs and staff, covers fixed cost increases, allows for limited restoration of previously cut positions and programs from the 2013-14 budget, and provides funding for state required programs and staffing. Restored positions cut from the 2013-14 budget would include grade1 and kindergarten Educational Technicians. This scenario would also restore soccer programs at the junior high and high school, summer school at Sanford High School and fund the Kids Club after school program. The following budget reductions would be required from the originally proposed School Department Budget: Supplies for English as Second Language $5,000 High School Summer School $12,500 Math Remediation Program $29,265 Safety Management Program $5,000 Maintenance Staff Substitutes $12,500 School Nutrition Program Expenses $6,000 Special Ed IEP Coordinator at MCS/Lafayette $21,000 Health Insurance Reduction $200,000 Technology - Charging Carts - Willard $4,500 iPad / Technology Repairs $5,000ggg Administrator Asgsistants at SHS $10,000 Staff Travel Reduction $10,000 Occupational Therapist $38,220 Occupational Therapist Reduction 4 days/week $20,000 Social Worker Reduction to 4 days/week $20,000 Psychological Services Reduction 1 day/week $21,000 TOTAL REDUCTIONS FROM PROPOSED BUDGET $419,985and may not be aware of the meeting:
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 22:52:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015