BoE Chair Likly On the School Budget, Air Quality

Bruce Likly is the chairman of the Wilton Public Schools Board of Education. His column, “Notes from the Board Table,” appears regularly on GOOD Morning Wilton.

Many thanks to those who braved the “polar vortex” to attend last Thursday night’s budget presentation at Middlebrook. Superintendent Dr. Gary Richards offered a detailed overview of the administration’s proposed 2014-15 operating budget, which calls for a 4.82 percent increase in spending over current levels.

A 4.82 percent increase is certainly higher than the 1.75 percent target suggested by the Board of Finance. I suspect the Board of Education will vote at our February 9 6 board meeting to adopt a budget that falls somewhere between the two As we continue our deliberations, here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Very little of the budget is actually open to negotiation at this time. Contractual obligations, special education mandates, and fixed cost expenditures account for the bulk of the budget. In fact, Dr. Richards estimates that less than five percent of the overall budget falls into the “non-mandatory/non-contractual” category.
• Salaries are our largest budget expenditure, and those for existing staff are set to increase by 2.1 percent. Worth noting though, is that 82 percent of our staff has direct, daily interaction with students. Health benefits are expected to increase by 4.4 percent, but we believe the implementation of a high deductible plan has helped keep a handle on rising health care costs – with an estimated savings of approximately $600,000 in the first year alone.
• The budget includes $250,000 to fund two new security-related positions, as recommended by the Town Security Task force. The new positions include an additional school resource officer and hiring of a “threat assessment” coordinator.
• The special education budget is expected to increase by 9.38 percent next year. Many factors affect this but most notably, a 60 percent increase in the number of mediations and settlements has caused a spike in outplacement tuition. The budget also includes funds to hire specialized staffing necessary to meet the increasing numbers of students in need of these services.
• The budget includes $50,000 as a contingency for possible indoor air quality monitoring at Miller-Driscoll. 
• The budget currently does not include participation fees. The 2013-14 budget did include $175,000 in participation fee revenue, but the Board voted at the outset of the process to not include the fees in the 2014-15 budget proposal. I suspect participation fees will be a part of the discussion as the conversation continues.

As at least one parent pointed out during last week’s hearing that the proposed budget is really a “status quo” document, in that it takes no great leaps forward in funding new programs, initiatives or building/maintenance. While there may be some truth to that, it’s important to note the budget does protect several programs put in place in recent years, and makes no cuts to staffing, technology, or curriculum components. Furthermore it provides resources to help us continue with the curriculum initiatives we have been working on for the past several years.

A budget workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. in the WHS Professional Library. We will have an opportunity to further review the budget with the administration, before a final vote is taken at our Feb. 6 regular meeting. The public is welcome to attend.

Switching gears, I’d like to offer a few comments regarding the indoor air quality discussion (IAQ) that has garnered attention in recent weeks. Dr. Richards addressed the issue at the beginning of last week’s meeting and reiterated that he is aware of no IAQ problems at Miller-Driscoll or any other Wilton school. Dr. Richards updated the Board on several steps being taken:

• New dates to retest each school for radon could be announced later this week.
• The district is in the process of identifying an independent HVAC consultant, who will conduct a review of Miller-Driscoll School indoor air quality and provide recommendations for any corrective actions needed.
• The federal “Tools for Schools” program has been reinstated at each school, with team participants – including parents and community representatives – identified, and training is underway.
• Miller-Driscoll has been subject to regular on-site monitoring of the HVAC equipment by Mark Esposito, the district’s in-house certified HVAC technician.  He is working to ensure that the equipment is running properly.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has produced an indoor air quality “fact sheet” that is a good source of information.  This document offers a succinct overview of the IAQ issue as it relates to schools, and I think will help clear up some of the contradictory information that has marked the current conversation in Wilton. This document may be found on the Wilton Public Schools website.

The Board will continue to closely monitor the issue and inform the community as new information becomes available. In the meantime, work on the budget will continue, and I hope parents will stay informed and become engaged in the process.