Proposed Cut in Music Department Dominates Budget Hearing

A proposed staffing cut in the music department at Canton Middle School, reducing 18 percent of a "full-time equivalent" position, generated the most comment at a Board of Finance meeting on the proposed 2011-2012 budgets Thursday night.

The night began with presentations about the budgets for the Board of Selectmen, Board of Education, Board of Finance and Debt Service, after which residents were allowed to make comments and ask questions from any of the board, town or school representatives.

In his budget remarks, Superintendent of Schools Kevin Case presented many aspects of the budget, but did touch on the music issue. He said no class offerings would be eliminated, but fewer sessions of some tech classes would be offered because of decreases in participation for next year. 

Several parents said, however, that the move would hurt the department more than it would seem from the relatively small cut of some $9,000.

The person who teaches those classes is paid now for only a 0.8 position, and with further cuts may be forced to leave the district, several parents said. And that teacher, who was not identified, is someone who works tirelessly and puts in far more hours than he is paid for, the parents said.

“I think we’ll end up losing a very valuable person to the district,” Sarah Faulkner said as part of her remarks about the music department. “For us to cut that person, I think, would be a tragedy.”

Mary Engvall also said she felt the cut could end up hurting the town’s music program more than people realize.

“I just feel very strongly – what basketball is to UConn, music is to Canton,” she said.

Engvall did acknowledge that other cuts are proposed in the Board of Education’s plan.

“Certainly everyone is being asked to do some sacrificing,” she said.

Case thanked the parents for their comments and said it has not been determined which teacher’s hours would be cut and said it won’t necessarily be the one who teaches the classes in question.  In response to another parent’s comments that the department chairman was blindsided by the proposal, Case said, the “people involved are consulted.”

He also said it’s the jobs of those department heads to build programs, and all those affected would naturally be upset.

Other cuts proposed include 0.2 of a full-time position in physical education at the high school, 0.4 in world language at the middle/high school, 0.15 in CAPT preparation at the high school and 0.2 in math at the high school.

In addition, most interscholastic matches at the middle school have been eliminated. 

“These are difficult economic times and we recognize that,” Case said.

Case also answered a few other budget questions.

Theresa Sullivan Barger spoke against the cut in music, but also asked Case some questions related to class size and space at Cherry Brook Primary School.

The Board of Education’s proposed budget includes two new teachers, including one for a new section of third grade at Cherry Brook.

With the space problems, Barger asked about reducing second grade from seven sessions to six, which would change class sizes from 20 to 23 in most sessions. Barger asked why “23 is not acceptable.”

“We really want to individualize instruction to every student. Twenty-one or less in second grade is extremely important,” Case said, adding that numbers can be slightly more in higher grade levels.

Barger then asked if a music or art room would be eliminated to make room for the new third-grade class.

Case said an architect will be looking at some other possibilities but said he could not elaborate until the process was further along. He also said he did not know if he would have an answer before it was time to vote on the budget.

A few other residents at the meeting also mentioned contractual increases for school staff. In the Board of Education’s proposed budget, contractual increases in salary and benefits result in an additional $1,146,856, or a 6.39 percent increase above current levels in that area.

Board of Education Chairwoman Beth Kandrysawtz said the administrators union was the only one to make concessions, which amount to $7,000.

Guerry Dotson said he works for a Fortune 100 Company where employees do not get raises like Canton teachers have received for the past several years.

“Nobody is getting those kind of increases unless you’re at the top of the echelon,” he said. It’s something to think about as many contracts come up for renegotiation this year, he said.

At previous meetings, Kandrysawtz has said the contracts will be negotiated in a much different economic climate than they were four years ago.

There were a few non-school related comments at the hearing Thursday.

Faulkner urged the Board of Finance not to make any cuts from the Board of Selectmen or Board of Education budgets.

If the finance board does reduce funding, it cannot tell the boards where to make the cuts. The budget also has to gain voter approval, but a rejection would typically be taken as a message to reduce the budget, not to restore funds, the finance board chairman said earlier this week.

Residents will have to wait until next week, however, to see what numbers the board proposes to voters.  

On April 13, the finance board will hold a workshop beginning at 3:30pm at the Community Center.

It will consider the following budgets:

The Board of Education’s proposal is $22,904,566, a 2.8 percent increase from the current spending plan of $22,283,809.

The Board of Selectmen’s proposed budget is $9,314,852, a 2.5 percent increase from the current adjusted budget of $9,085,283.

Debt Service is slated at $2,071,000, a 6.6 percent decrease, and the Board of Finance Budget is slated at $105,350, down 9.5 percent.

In all, the spending plans total $34,395,768, a 2.2 percent increase from the current fiscal year.

When estimating all the revenues the town gets from the state and federal aid, grants and taxes at the current rate, there is a $579,036 “gap” in paying for the budget expenditures as proposed, finance board chairman Richard Ohanesian said.

That can be closed through cuts, tax increases or a combination, he said.

If the budget proposal were to remained unchanged, the tax rate would go from 26.09 mills to 26.62 mills, for a 2.03 percent increase, according to the finance board. Owners of a house with a market value of $361,429 and an assessed value of $253,000 would have to pay an additional $134 in taxes if the numbers remain unchanged.

After the budget workshop, the final budget dates are scheduled as followed according to the town’s website.

April 18, 2011:  The Board of Finance will meet in the Community Center at 7:30 p.m. to adopt a proposed budget.

April 29, 2011:  A budget mailer will be sent to all households.

May 9, 2011:  The town's annual budget meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Canton High School Auditorium.

A budget referendum is anticipated for May 17, town officials said.

More detailed budget information can be found on the town's website and the school website.