Superintendent Details Some Budget Savings

On Tuesday night, school Superintendent Kevin Case outlined some definite and potential areas of savings to bring the proposed 2011-2012 school district budget to approved levels.

Originally, the Board of Education requested $22,904,566, a 2.8 percent increase from the 2010-2011 levels. The Board of Finance trimmed the request to a 1.5-percent increase, a measure included in the overall budget package approved by voters June 8. 

As a result the school board must find roughly $286,000 in savings from its initial proposal for the next fiscal year.

Per the finance board, $100,000 will come from capital expenditures, which will be taken from funds being put aside to replace windows at portions of the Canton High/Middle School building.

For the rest, Case mentioned several areas Tuesday, many of which he has discussed with administrators and members of the board’s finance committee.

Replacing retiring or leaving teachers with individuals that are lower on the pay scale will save $48,527, Case said, and a lower-than-expected kindergarten enrollment another $34,000.

In addition, business manager Edward J. Hoyt renegotiated a copier contract for a savings of $10,000, Case said.

School officials are also closely monitoring enrollment figures. Case had initially requested approval for one additional teacher in both the third and fourth grades.

However, the additional fourth-grade teacher may not be necessary if the current project enrollment figures stay steady, he said Wednesday. That would save the district about $42,885.

He does believe an additional third-grade teacher will be needed but said there is a possibility that one fewer second-grade session could be offered, in which case a teacher could be reassigned, rather than another one hired.

Case said in a few weeks he should have a better idea if those scenarios will play out and have more concrete details for the board when it meets Aug. 30.

“It’s a work in progress,” Case said.