Today is new Superintendent of Schools Jerome Belair's first day of school in Waterford.

Belair is a Massachusetts native who grew up loving the Bill Russell-era Celtics. He attended Georgetown University and earned a degree in business before studying education at the University of California-Berkeley.

A Groton Long Point resident, Belair was a teacher in Norwich and an administrator in East Lyme, Southington and Weston.

Belair sat down with staff writer Stephen Chupaska last week to talk about Waterford's budget troubles and other issues in education.

How involved were you in the budget preparations ?

As part of my transition and entry plan, I've had a chance to meet with the first selectman, the finance board and the union leadership. Each and every time we've discussed the ($41.9 million) budget.

We've been able to find $600,000 we can reduce from the budget, so that leaves us with $ 1.2 million to go.

A wage freeze is something I can support, otherwise we're really going to look at programmatic cuts and significant staffing cuts.

That's a lot. The school system is taking a hit if we have to go in that direction. If we have to, we'll do it.

You're eliminating programs not because you have fewer kids, you're eliminating programs because you have fewer dollars.

So, this is a budget you can defend and take ownership of, then.

I have no choice. I will defend it and I'll defend it at the Board of Finance. I think (the school administration) has done an exceptional job developing this. Think about this: You have two major drivers. You have contractual settlements from four years ago when times were different and the economy was stronger. So you're looking at a 4 percent general wage increase plus step movement. The No. 1 stressor is the health benefits right now. It's nearly a 32 percent increase. The time that I've spent in Waterford has been zeroed in on, where are we financially and what are we going to do to reduce these costs - right now - not in the long term.

This is the second year in a row Waterford has asked the unions for concessions. Are there long-term solutions?

We need to get the various bargaining groups at the table and look at where we are with our benefits and health insurance. Times are different. Should we as a system go out to bid and look at other health carriers? With all the unions, in this time, we need to ask: what is an appropriate general wage increase?

In what areas do you see a need for improvement in the Waterford schools?

I guess what I have to say to you is that I don't come with an agenda. I'm about a single item: excellence. And that is excellence in everything we do. What I am excited about is that from now until the end of the school year, I will be an observer. There are a lot of "publics" in a public school. There's your students, your staff, your parents and then there are people who don't have school-age children, and then you have your town officials. My goal is to hear a variety of perspectives to find out what the strengths of the schools system are and the areas we can improve upon.

There wasn't something that you thought, "I could bring this to bear…?"

This is a challenging time for budgets, and it's challenging in every school system. One of the strengths I bring is from the financial side. When I was at Georgetown, I was in the school of business. I pride myself on that. We can't lose sight of the prize, and that is the kids.

Is there anything Waterford can learn from Weston?

The most important part is to foster an environment that is dedicated to continuous improvement. So, one of the things we pride ourselves in Weston on is that we ask the question all the time: How can we do this better? There isn't a magic pill or recipe. We have a body of knowledge and body of research, and we ought to be guided by those best practices.

There has been some willingness, fueled by the economy, to regionalize efforts, like the school calendar. What areas call for further regionalization?

The regional service centers (e.g LEARN) are a great conduit to help us regionalize. One of the opportunities we have, and it will take time, is in health insurance. Finally we have legislation, effective July 1, that will allow us to regionalize and go out to bid on health insurance. It is easier said than done. We all have very different plans and benefits.

Why did you take the job?

First of all, Waterford has a great reputation. The other piece is that I live close by. Our grandson is now 13, and it's a very important time in his life. We spend a lot of time together. Those were the two drivers for me. It was an opportunity and chance to spend more time closer to home. It's the right time.

I've worked in a variety of districts. When I was in Norwich, it was a priority school district, and I loved working in Norwich. I wasn't actively hunting for "a Waterford." But I do think gone are the days when superintendents will stay for 20 years. This is a hot seat. The level of accountability and the pressures in public education are different than they were even 10 years ago.

How are they different?

There is a very narrow focus for a report card on a school district: test results. I'm leaving the highest achieving district in Connecticut. Test scores were never a pressure for us. We were doing the work and getting the results. Test results were a ceiling, and we were shooting much higher than that. I don't want Waterford to be graded on test results. My hope is to expand the view. It's more than CMTs and CAPT. What is the experience like for that student?

Would you rather go to school now or when you went to school?

Oh, now. Absolutely. It's as exciting as all heck. The learning experience today is different than when I went to school. All of us were on the same page, doing the same thing. You can't teach that way anymore. You're customizing as a baseline.