Bethel school board defends request for 2.56% increase [Connecticut Post, Bridgeport]

Feb. 24--BETHEL -- The Bethel Board of Education will defend its $37.5 million budget request for the 2010-11 school year in front of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance on Thursday night -- barring snow.

The board's proposal is 2.56 percent or $936,458 more than current spending.

It reflects Superintendent Gary Chesley's $500,000 reduction to his original request, mainly made possible by renegotiating health insurance costs.

"We accepted his budget proposal that was based on the request we made to lower the budget plan," school board Chairman Larry Craybas said Tuesday.

Chesley's original $38 million request included a $510,000 or 10 percent increase in health insurance spending. But he was able to get the increase down to a 2.56 percent or $310,000.

The school board voted 6-1 to approve the budget Feb. 18, with Cynthia McCorkindale abstaining. She could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

The teachers signed a three-year contract in October that calls for a 1 percent general wage increase and no step increase next year, a 2.64 percent wage and step increase the second year, and a 3.25 increase the third year.

The contract also calls for teachers to pay an ascending amount of their health insurance premiums, from 16 percent this year to 17, 18 and 20 percent by the end of the three-year contract.

"The teachers' contract is the leading edge of where we need to go for cost sharing on health insurance," Craybas said.

The administrators' union agreed to five furlough days in the current budget and two days in the 2010 budget.

Craybas said the other unions are waiting on the total town budget before considering concessions.

"The teachers are under pressure from the state union leadership not to make concessions, and I don't think it's unique to our group," Craybas said.

Bethel schools received a 5 percent spending increase in 2006-07, a 4.3 percent increase in 2007-08, a 2.09 percent increase in 2008-09 and no increase in 2009-10.

Board of Finance Chairman Philip Gallagher said this will be the last major town department to present its request. The selectmen will then recommend a spending plan to the Finance Board.

Gallagher said the town has some built-in expenses that cannot be avoided this year.

For instance, $348,000 must go to employee pensions and $161,000 to police pensions, according to the actuarial estimates, to satisfy future obligations.

In addition, $352,580 is needed to cover interest on the high school renovation bond.

"Because of these costs, it's a scary year," Gallagher said.

Last year, the town's operating costs were 0.18 percent below the previous year, while the school budget was unchanged.

"It's just as grim this year," he said. " There is no new income. There is no growth in the grand list."

Not knowing how much state aid the town will receive also makes the budget more challenging, Gallagher said.

The school district cut 20 employees, eliminated classes at the high school and increased class sizes in third, fourth and fifth grades in the last two years.

Contact Eileen FitzGerald

at [email protected]

or at 203-731-3333.

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