http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101270350
Teachers nix cost-cutting furlough
Rutland Herald
By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: January 27, 2010
SPRINGFIELD — Faculty and support staff said no, but administrators agreed to salary reductions as the School Board approved a proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-11.
By a unanimous vote, the School Board approved a budget of $25,440,521, an increase of $279,136, or 1.1 percent, more than the current budget of $25,161,385.
At its previous meeting Jan. 19, the board asked the administration to float the idea of faculty, support staff and administrators taking a one-day furlough, or unpaid day off, during the school year.
Superintendent Frank Perotti said administrators agreed to the furlough, which will save $3,660, on the condition the money be used to reduce the budget and not add anything back in.
Faculty members did not agree to the proposed furlough. Board Chairman Larry Kraft read a one-page letter dated Monday from the Springfield Teachers Association explaining why.
"The Springfield School District employees, like everyone else, will pay increased property taxes next year because of the shift of funding from the state to the local school districts and other economic factors," read the letter signed by Teachers Association president and vice president Stephen Karaffa and Alison Sylvester. "For a Springfield employee to decrease his or her wages, when property taxes are increasing, would mean that a school employee's cost to support the Springfield Schools would be more than that paid by other taxpayers."
Support staff also declined to take furloughs.
The proposed budget restores the elementary Title I staff from the five positions originally proposed to the current level of 5.5. It also cut the high school's athletic trainer position, to the dismay of Brandy White.
"I think it's a really important position. Schools in Vermont are adding A.T. positions and Springfield is cutting it," said White, 20, who graduated from Springfield High School in 2007 and played soccer, basketball and softball. White played before the school had an athletic trainer and said things were more dangerous then. "I knew people who played on broken ankles and had concussions. You don't want the coaches to make the decision if someone should play or not."
While the overall budget is increasing, the operating budget is decreasing by $16,105, or less than 1 percent, from $21,293,607 to $21,277,502. Much of the budget increase is because of payments on the $32.8 million bond approved by voters in 2006 to improve the town's elementary schools. That amount is increasing $870,512, or 59.5 percent, from $1,462,491 to $2,333,003.
Residents will vote on the budget by ballot March 2.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100127/NEWS02/1270350/1003/NEWS02
Rutland Herald
By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: January 27, 2010
SPRINGFIELD — Faculty and support staff said no, but administrators agreed to salary reductions as the School Board approved a proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-11.
By a unanimous vote, the School Board approved a budget of $25,440,521, an increase of $279,136, or 1.1 percent, more than the current budget of $25,161,385.
At its previous meeting Jan. 19, the board asked the administration to float the idea of faculty, support staff and administrators taking a one-day furlough, or unpaid day off, during the school year.
Superintendent Frank Perotti said administrators agreed to the furlough, which will save $3,660, on the condition the money be used to reduce the budget and not add anything back in.
Faculty members did not agree to the proposed furlough. Board Chairman Larry Kraft read a one-page letter dated Monday from the Springfield Teachers Association explaining why.
"The Springfield School District employees, like everyone else, will pay increased property taxes next year because of the shift of funding from the state to the local school districts and other economic factors," read the letter signed by Teachers Association president and vice president Stephen Karaffa and Alison Sylvester. "For a Springfield employee to decrease his or her wages, when property taxes are increasing, would mean that a school employee's cost to support the Springfield Schools would be more than that paid by other taxpayers."
Support staff also declined to take furloughs.
The proposed budget restores the elementary Title I staff from the five positions originally proposed to the current level of 5.5. It also cut the high school's athletic trainer position, to the dismay of Brandy White.
"I think it's a really important position. Schools in Vermont are adding A.T. positions and Springfield is cutting it," said White, 20, who graduated from Springfield High School in 2007 and played soccer, basketball and softball. White played before the school had an athletic trainer and said things were more dangerous then. "I knew people who played on broken ankles and had concussions. You don't want the coaches to make the decision if someone should play or not."
While the overall budget is increasing, the operating budget is decreasing by $16,105, or less than 1 percent, from $21,293,607 to $21,277,502. Much of the budget increase is because of payments on the $32.8 million bond approved by voters in 2006 to improve the town's elementary schools. That amount is increasing $870,512, or 59.5 percent, from $1,462,491 to $2,333,003.
Residents will vote on the budget by ballot March 2.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100127/NEWS02/1270350/1003/NEWS02
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