Board of Education details cuts to proposed budget
North Stonington — Cuts approved by the Board of Education to the school budget, after voters rejected the spending plan last month, were reaffirmed Wednesday night and are mostly to equipment replacement.
Reductions recommended by the Board of Finance on June 28 amounted to about half of the proposed operating budget increase, limiting the schools to a total increase of $115,966 over last year.
However, there was some confusion over the precise number, leading the board to reaffirm its cuts on Wednesday.
The cuts were developed by Superintendent of Schools Peter Nero in consultation with other administrators, and took $71,138 out of the purchase of new equipment and $51,631 out of the replacement of equipment, all of which are part of a five-year purchasing plan.
Business Manager Kimberly Allen explained that the district has tended to allocate savings to the purchase of new equipment, and as a result is slightly ahead of its five-year plan.
In addition, grants that have amounted to a "couple hundred thousand dollars" have allowed the district to make many purchases of new technology and security upgrades without affecting the operating budget.
However, she said, future cuts to purchasing could cause the district to fall behind.
Other cuts came in the form of changes in employee insurance, which was reduced by $7,221, and $5,980 from the tuition line, which reflected fewer students projected to go out of district, Allen said.
The original confusion arose because there had been no direct correspondence between the two boards, Board of Education Chairman Bob Carlson said.
At the Board of Finance meeting next week, members will work to correspond with the selectmen and education board about their proposed reductions, finance board Chairman Tim Main II said.
Carlson said the cuts reflect the need for more efficiency with the school renovation project getting underway.
"We have a building plan coming up, we have to be fiscally responsible ... it always hurts somewhere, but I feel fine with where the money came from," he said.
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