Groton Board of Education approves budget with 1.24 percent increase
Groton — The Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved its 2019-20 budget of $77,438,090, which marks a 1.24 percent increase over the current year's spending plan.
Superintendent Michael Graner, who delivered the budget to Town Manager John Burt on Wednesday, said that he's really pleased by the level of scrutiny from the Board of Education. The board went through the budget line by line and page by page, and ultimately at the end felt the spending plan would meet the needs of the children.
Graner's initial proposed budget, presented at a public hearing in January, stood at $78.4 million, or a 2.59 percent increase. Major reasons for the increase included contractual raises and restoring funds for equipment and supplies to their 2017-18 level after they were reduced in the current budget, he has said.
The Board of Education was able to bring the budget down to a 1.24 percent increase by dipping into the health insurance reserve and the reserve of funds set aside from the Department of Defense Supplemental Impact Aid grant, while still keeping enough in the reserves, Graner said.
"Over the last year, the Board believes our schools have made significant progress in achieving our goals of ensuring quality education for all children," Board of Education Chairperson Kim Shepardson Watson wrote in her Wednesday letter submitting the budget to Town Mayor Patrice Granatosky. "Our two magnet middle schools have been very successful in providing quality programs for the children; in addition, the high school and both middle schools are well on their way toward full implementation of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program in grades 6 through 10."
Shepardson Watson wrote that the budget fully supports the districts' three goals adopted last fall — to "provide dynamic and rigorous curriculum," "ensure effective and engaging instruction" and "provide excellent learning environments that are safe, secure, well-maintained, and have a positive learning climate" — and will enable the continued improvement of the schools.
A public hearing on the town's entire proposed fiscal year 2020 budget is scheduled for March 28.
The Town Council is slated to review the Board of Education's budget on April 1.
Under the town charter, the council has until April 28 to approve the town budget. It is then sent to the Representative Town Meeting.
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