Windsor Locks School Officials Make Final Adjustments to 2011-12 Budget

School officials announced adjustments to the board of education's 2011-12 budget were made to reach the level of funding that was ultimately approved by residents during the on May 17.

The overall town $43.1 million spending plan represents a $162,000, or 0.38 percent, increase over the current budget, officials said. The budget increases the tax rate by .25 mills to 23.40 mills.

The board of education received a $400,000, or 1.98 percent, increase. School officials had requested a more than $600,000 increase.

Superintendent of Schools Wayne Sweeney said at Thursday’s board meeting that school officials had to find $291,000 in reductions to meet the approved budget amount. All of the scenarios proposed to the board of finance during budget deliberations were best guesses, Sweeney said.

To meet the budget: the number of health aides in schools has been reduced; the administrators’ bargaining unit has agreed to some concessions; Sweeney, the director of curriculum, and the district business manager have also matched those concessions; and the central office personnel has been reduced by three, the human resources director, a receptionist, and part-time employee.

The school system is also gaining savings from cutting one section of pre-school, which reduces staff by one teacher and a para-professional; an agreement with Smyth Bus Company that reduces transportation costs; and some savings through attrition from higher paid staff members’ resignations that would likely be replaced by people with lower salaries, Sweeney said.

All of the reductions resulted in $398,000 in savings, Sweeney said. But, he said, that is not enough of a cushion for unexpected expenses that my pop up during the year. Those could include increased energy costs, or emergencies such as weather.

“Should we have another snow event like we had this year we’ll have to go back to the town and ask for help,” Sweeney said.


Michele Vidal,  nurse, told the board Thursday, that health aides are invaluable and help nurses handle large number of students they see daily.  For instance, when a diabetic student is need of help it may take a large amount of time. A health aide helps the other students waiting in the office, Vidal said.

“Our health aides are all seasoned,” Vidal Said. “I’d go into the trenches with them.”

One third of the savings came just from the central office reorganization, he said.  While the reorganization had been mentioned during budget deliberations, no specifics were ever discussed. Sweeney said he wanted to inform affected employees before anything was publicly announced.

“We delivered all of the messages personally to employees,” Sweeney said. “It’s difficult to deliver “Thank you for your service but next year you will not be part of the team.”

One parent, Karen Giannelli, of Columbo Terrace, asked the school officials if the reductions were going to be voted on by the board.

Board Chairwoman Patricia King said the reductions had been on a list submitted to the board of finance that prioritized what would happen based on the amount of money the schools received in the budget.