REDDING BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET PRESENTATION
January 22, 2022- 12:00 p.m.
Joel Barlow High School – Library Learning Center
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSJhKa9oQfe3lydov_I-EvA
Minutes
ATTENDANCE
Board members: Parkin, Oulton, Sadana, Hardridge, Belfatto, Gibbons
Absent: Hoffman
Administration: McKinnon, Pierson Ugol, Petruzzelli, Del Conte, Hankla
Others: 2 members of the staff and public
CALL TO ORDER
Chris Parkin called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m.
The meeting recessed at 12:05 p.m. to ensure all in attendance were wearing face coverings. Hardridge and Belfatto complied.
Chris Parkin called the meeting to order at 12:06 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
None.
PRESENTATION OF THE OPERATING BUDGET
Dr. McKinnon presented his thoughts on the Redding budget. Education is an investment in human capital and the school budget reflects our educational values and defines our educational priorities. He stated school inputs do make a difference in education and they are positively associated with student achievement. There is a strong relationship between school resources and student outcomes, including teachers’ education and their qualifications, contractual increases et al. We are committed to not spending money on things that do not work. We do not want to spend more when it is not necessary. Therefore the budget represents:
- Resources that we allocate
- Strong strategic plan that allows us to plan for the future
- Emphasizing instructional strategies in our schools and classrooms
With that he presented a new budget model, main budget drivers, cost center summary and new staff proposal, proposed budget summary and next steps.
Noted were the disruptions caused by Covid, including 90 days of remote learning and 500 quarantined students. Smarter Balanced Assessment scores (SBA) reflect these disruptions. Investments to help make up these scores are reflected in the 2022-2023 budget.
Key points regarding jobs and skills needed by students in the future. Our students will need to be more agile, think critically and both collaborate and work independently. Dr. McKinnon is impressed with our district’s emphasis on transfer of learning, providing students the opportunity to work on projects and have authentic experiences and he is eager to help the district focus on these areas and these goals by developing measurable steps for progress.
Preparing students for the future – priorities:
Academic excellence
Students are future ready
Students benefit from a caring community and soft skills that match new jobs in 2030
Budget increase – neighboring districts experiencing 3.5 to 5.5 increase due to common challenges of:
Contractual increases in salaries and benefits
Reduced state funding
Increases in utilities and transportation
Cost center overview presented along with new budget book. Main budget drivers and projected enrollment were reviewed.
Approved 2021-2022 Budget = $23,061,038 and proposed 2022-2023 Budget = $24,190,964 which amounts to an increase of $1,129,926 or 4.90%.
Next steps:
Publish Budget Book and Website
Produce Q&A documents
Hold Budget workshops with BOE
February 3rd we expect Brown & Brown to attend the workshop regarding health insurance.
Dr. McKinnon was asked to create a 1-page document to outline the budget items that are discretionary vs those that are non-negotiable.
Chris Parkin thanked the Administration for the new budget spreadsheet and possible credits from our bus transportation company were discussed due to routes that were not run recently. We pay a per bus/per route price.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Julia Pemberton (First Selectwoman, Umpawaug Road) noted she maintains a master calendar of all town budget meetings and agreed to add all BOE meetings with a budget component to that calendar.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
Laura Gibbons inquired about joining the Long Range Planning Committee. New Board members will be welcomed to join. Committees are under review and will be finalized after 2022-2023 budget is passed.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion: move that the Redding Board of Education meeting be adjourned Sadana, Gibbons. Approved. Unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:13 p.m.
Submitted by Stephanie Oulton
Secretary, Redding Board of Education