Easton Schools Need To Reduce Budget Request

Easton schools need a 4.13 percent budget increase, told the Board of Education at its monthly meeting. But Easton’s financiers are requesting departments come in with budget requests of three percent or less, with most departments aiming for two percent, according to Dan Underberger, school board chairman.

If passed as Josefsberg presented, the increase would be slightly more than $617,000, bringing the total budget for and Helen Keller Middle School to $15.5 million.

At the district’s first budget workshop, Underberger said the school board could not support a 4.13 percent increase, and asked Josefsberg to present budgets with three percent and 1.5 percent.

Adam Dunsby, board secretary, said it’s important to consider next year’s 0.5 percent increase in teachers’ salaries as well as the following year’s increase of three percent when considering this year’s budget.

Budget drivers

The budget drivers, according to Josefsberg, are salary obligations, health insurance, special education tuition and professional services and utilites.

Josefsberg proposed adding a fifth grade section, restoring a math specialist at the middle school level, restoration art instruction at the elementary level, purchasing science materials for lab activities at the middle school level ($19,168) and installing a wireless network at Samuel Staples Elementary School ($23,443).

The district, overall, projects a decrease of 24 students, with a decline of 28 students at Samuel Staples and an increase of four students at Helen Keller.

The Board of Education meets next on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the budget once more. The board will also hold a budget workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place in the library at .