The BoardsCorner: Update from CVU
by Lorna Jimerson,
December 16, 2010, page 7.....

Challenges for Change Reductions Too Deep

Formulating a school budget is always complicated and difficult, especially with so many unknowns. This year, however, it is particularly daunting.
School boards are obligated to meet simultaneous goals, some of which are conflicting. As custodians of the education of our community’s children, we want to ensure the best schools possible. Also, as usual, we listen to community sentiment and try to keep taxes as low as possible. And this year, overlaid on top of those goals, is a new one – the state’s recommended targets to meet Challenges for Change budget reductions. CVU’s target works out to be about $720,000.
The CVU board, augmented by our Budget Buddies, met last Monday to review recommendations for the 2011-2012 budget as prepared by the administration.
Using the various goals as a framework, Sean McMannon, the CVU principal, developed three “tiers” of budgets. Here is a summary:
Tier 1, the Baseline Budget, is the level of funding needed to maintain all the courses and programs next year that exist this year. Though the programs remain constant, there are increases to the bottom line due to rising costs for items and services such as health insurance premiums; costs of dental, workers compensation, and general insurance; increases in utilities and fuel; tuition for students attending one of the tech schools (Essex or Burlington); teacher and staff salaries. (Note: We included a 2% increase in salaries for all staff, but since teacher negotiations are still ongoing, this may need to be changed.)
In this Tier, some of these cost increases are offset by reductions in staffing and supplies that are the natural result of a small decline in enrollment anticipated for next year. For example, the Tier 1 budget cuts one section of Music and one section of World Language, and decreases allotments for books and supplies.
This Baseline budget would result in about a 0.5% increase (a net increase of $114,000) over last year’s budget.
Tier 2, Zero Percent Increase Budget, is the level of funding necessary to result in no increase over last year’s budget. Because of inflation, this requires a net reduction of $221,000 from last year’s budget.
Tier 2 includes all recommended Tier 1 reductions, and then makes further cuts in areas such as World Languages, Wellness, Special Ed assistants, athletics and co-curriculars and deeper reductions in books and supplies.
Tier 3, the Challenges for Change Target, is the funding necessary for CVU to meet its state’s suggested goal – a $720,000 budget reduction from last year’s approved budget. All of Tier 1 and Tier 2 reductions would occur, and we would need to cut an additional $500,000.
This is a very significant budget slash and will impact a variety of programs. For example, Summerlink, a program designed to help struggling 9th grade students, would be eliminated. Additional cuts would be made in Art, English, Music, World Languages, Wellness, Drivers Ed, Special education, the Life program, the Library and athletics. In general, students would have fewer course options, larger classes and fewer supports to help them succeed.
The Board did not decide on which Tier to use for our final budget proposal, though we will vote on this at our next meeting on January 3. To help us in our deliberations, we requested that Sean prioritize the Tier 3 reductions and share that with us at our next meeting. We wanted more information about how these reductions would impact kids before we decide on the best approach.
Meanwhile, the State needed to be notified by December 15 on whether we anticipate being able to meet Challenges for Change targets. Though final budget decisions were not determined, we instructed Elaine Pickney, our superintendent, to relay that CVU probably will NOT be able to meet the targets.