Ledyard superintendent presents proposed school budget at public hearing
Ledyard — As municipal budget season ramps up, the Board of Education hosted a public hearing Wednesday for Superintendent Jay Hartling's proposed budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
The presentation, which is available on the district website, described a $33,189,420 budget, which would be a 1.97% increase over the current year's spending plan. The board further will discuss the budget next week before voting to send it to the Town Council.
Hartling said Ledyard has one of the lowest per-pupil expenditures in the state, with 2018-19 expenditures at $14,556 per student. Since the district is working with limited resources, the school budget process includes a ranked review of requests to identify immediate needs.
Salaries and wages, which make up 71% of the budget, are slated to increase about 3.5%; more than half of that comes from contractual wage increases. The budget also includes the addition of several positions to meet new needs throughout the district.
If approved, the district will hire two full-time math interventionists for the elementary schools, a full-time health teacher at the middle school, a literacy paraprofessional for Gales Ferry School, and a full-time special education teacher for Gallup Hill School's high-needs program. Hours for paraprofessionals will be adjusted to allow them to be with their assigned students for the full day, and a part-time English language learner tutor position will be increased to a full-time teacher position; this position will be partially funded by a grant.
The New England School Development Council is projecting a slight increase in student enrollment over the next few years. Hartling said the district is aiming for staffing equity to meet the needs of each school.
The capital improvement plan includes the high school track and field project, currently underway, and a new roof for the district office, both of which are bondable. Nonrecurring items budgeted for the upcoming year include upgrades to classrooms, bathrooms, the boiler system and the stage at the high school; new flooring and paint at Gales Ferry School; and the kitchen at Juliet W. Long School.
Residents with budget questions can visit the FAQ page, bit.ly/LBOEfaq, on the Board of Education website. They also can contact Hartling to add a question to the page with a response from the board.
The Town Council will hold a public hearing for the entire town budget on April 27 before the town meeting May 18 and referendum May 19.
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