Committee Wants to Offset Cost of New Positions

School Committee members last night asked the superintendent to find about $40,000 in the budget to fund new positions. 

The committee unanimously supported  a Fiscal Year 2012 budget of  $23,275,817. But some members requested that about $40,000 be cut in other areas to fund a full-time equivalent in high school foreign language and a .2-equivalent adaptive art teacher.

Committee member Daryl Rynning encouraged School Superintendent Joseph Connors to take another look at supply costs. "Is that an area where we can take some more, shave some more?'' she asked.

"I just think there's a way to reduce $40,000,'' committee member Donna Stock said.

Connors said that "all non-personnel cuts have been made'' to reach the current budget figure.

"We're really down to the quick of it,'' he said.

"I don't want you to think there are not going to be consequences,'' to cutting other areas of the budget, he said. "They will be proportional consequences, but they won't be inconsequential.''

Committee chairman Teri Turgeon wanted to move forward with the budget as it stands.

"I feel lucky we aren't cutting'' the budget. 

The to $23,275,817 budget represents a 1.6 per cent increase over the current budget.