Groton school board approves $77.7 million budget
Groton — The Groton Board of Education has approved a $77.7 million budget for the coming fiscal year, a 1.67 percent increase over current spending.
“Over the past several months, the board has worked diligently with Dr. Graner, our superintendent, to develop a spending plan that will meet the needs of our students while also keeping in mind the ability of the taxpayers to support the budget,” Board Chairwoman Kim Watson wrote in a letter to Town Mayor Bruce Flax.
The board must submit its budget to the Town Council by Tuesday. The board’s approved budget would maintain class size, continue instructional and extracurricular programs, upgrade classroom technology and cover negotiated pay increases. Teachers are due to receive 1.5 percent pay raises, along with "step" increases related to education and experience. Paraprofessionals and administrators have contractual increases of 2 percent in the coming year.
Groton was able to save on tuition in the budget because fewer students left to attend schools elsewhere this year, Watson wrote. Fifty fewer children left Groton to attend magnet schools in other communities and 20 fewer left for vocational programs, Superintendent Michael Graner said.
Demand for Groton's two intra-district magnet programs meanwhile increased. Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School, which offers a science, technology, engineering, arts and math program, had 91 applicants for 24 openings last spring. Northeast Academy Arts Magnet School, which opened to magnet students for the first time this school year, received 70 applications for 20 open seats.
“Due to the popularity of these magnet programs, the board is pleased to report that the number of students participating in out-of-district magnet schools has declined; this has led to a significant reduction in the tuition account,” Watson wrote.
Flax said he hasn't seen the board's adopted budget. But based on what's happening at the state level, the board may have to cut more, he said. Gov. Dannel Malloy's proposed budget would cut state aid to Groton by $14.17 million, though local leaders have banded together to fight the cut.
“I understand that they can’t come in at a zero (increase) every year,” Flax said of the school board. “But based on the preliminaries for the revenue that we’re going to get from the state and the potential cut, I am thinking that they’re going to have to do better in the long run.”
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