The school district needs an annual increase of five percent to maintain the status quo, not including curriculum enrichment, schools Supt. Ralph Iassogna said at Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting.
About two dozen people attended the meeting at the Long Hill Administration building. First Selectman Tim Herbst has recommended cutting the district’s proposed 5.38 percent increase to 2.375 percent for fiscal year 2011-2012. That subtracts $2.5 million from the $89.5 million request.
“Increases of less than three percent require cutting programs and force changes in the district's educational philosophy,” Iassogna said.
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Urgency was added to the discussion because acting Board of Finance Chairman Mark Smith had asked the board to develop a cut list to meet the recommendation in time for a hastily-called meeting of the two boards tonight at the district offices.
On Tuesday, Iassogna began what became an impassioned interaction with the board by saying he will immediately engage department leaders to put the list together. He said he doubted he and his staff could fully evaluate programs to determine what to include, but committed to do what he could.
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“We’re all suffering in the economy,” he noted.
Board members agreed with the superintendent. They all said that a range of alternatives must be listed, analyzed, arrayed from least to most harmful. Then choices must be made and specific items presented to the Board of Finance.
The ensuing discussion showed consensus among board members about how to proceed, but not what cuts should be offered and in what order.
Chairman Edward Lovely recognized the immensity of the task, saying “It has to be done, but not by tomorrow,” he said.
Member Thomas Kelly called their task “a reality of the current budget,” and said he “is willing to meet as often as possible.”
Member Michael Ward touched on the substantive issue, saying that cuts should be offered in a descending sequence: first programs, then personnel, then plant, and those such as increasing class size that affect pupils should be the “last thing.”
Member Lisa Labella said, “We cannot become a knife slicing pieces off…it is important that the board be specific…that we offer direction…that we ask what other approaches we should be looking at, and that our conversation continue beyond what we can do tonight,” she said.
Iassogna stated that “These cuts will create a different school system.” He cited the Model UN and Academic Decathlon, programs he called marks of the quality of Trumbull schools. But he added that programs like these may face elimination as the budget is cut.
Member Deborah Herbst asked that the administration assess support staff, wanting to know whether a smaller school should have the same staff as a larger one.
Assistant Superintendent Gary Cialfi responded that this addresses Trumbull’s Pupil Personnel Services model – school-based and system wide support staff that works with physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially needy students and includes psychologists, social workers, and speech and occupational therapists, as well as para-educators and administrative support.
He called it a successful model, but, under the circumstances, said it must be evaluated.
Iassogna offered the notion of reconfiguring the system. He said it could be completed by September, but reiterated that changes should be made carefully.
Labella replied that reconfiguration may not be the best solution, but that the system needs to adhere to the budget.
Ward offered the hope that “we get some of the $2.55 million back.”
Iassogna cautioned that once a list is made public the district must follow it. “We have no flexibility this year,” he said.
Wright responded that the town should compare itself with other “high performing” districts. “When you talk about a $2.5 million cut you’re talking about a different school system…. They are not taking the types of cuts we’re talking about tonight.”
He added that “we need to develop as many scenarios as possible so we create choices, as unattractive as each may be.”
Wright reminded the board that No Child Left Behind’s Average Yearly Progress standard goes to 100 percent in 2014, and that the high school will be re-evaluated in two years.
Cialfi added, “If we don’t pay now, we pay later.”
Herbst wondered if schools would have to be closed and called for the greatest possible accuracy in projecting costs.
Grade reorganization and school closing is an either-or proposal, then “we’re into some deep waters,” Iassogna said.
Earlier in this budget cycle, the school administration told the board that further cuts in either curriculum or system support won’t be easy. Special education outplacements have been minimized and early intervention to identify and treat the growing population of needy students is a core practice.
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