Budget Disappoints Class Size Advocates, Board Stresses Need for Bus and Building Improvements

"I want to be certain that students are not lost in the decision-making process. When you ask them to do their best and be their best, I urge you to place them in a setting where this is possible."

That's what Kara Hartigan Whelan, mother of a rising second grader at , said to the board after listening to their discussion of the budget they were close to approving.

She described how her son spent most of his kindergarten year "overhwhemed and confused" but in a smaller first grade this year, he had the opportunity to "learn how to learn," and developed strong connections with his teacher.

It was the end of an almost month-long discussion on class sizes that took place over several budget talks since Superintendent of Schools Paul Kreutzer's

After hearing from dozens of parents on the issue (see video posted ), the with a staffing plan that—for now—has classes in some elementary schools higher than others. At Meadow Pond, the fifth grade sections will have 25-26 students; third grade, 23, and in second grade, classes will average 23-24 students.

The board raised concerns at previous meetings about other class sizes including Lewisboro's third grade section, at 25 students and Katonah Elementary's first and third grade classes, averaging 21-22 and 24 students, respectively.

In response to board member Peter Breslin asking if the current staffing addressed deficits in state test scores received by KES students, Kreutzer said the school had put a plan into place to provide academic support to students and that adding "seven-digit" figures to the budget to make all the schools equal in staffing wasn't sustainable.  

"We have a plan, it's been enacted and our staff is doing a fine job of that. This is a long-term situation," he said. "If we have a bill to pay, paying with a credit card is not going to be a long term solution."

School Board Member Mike Gordon agreed.

"We're going to be able to continue to offer top-flight education to our kids. The reality is that under this budget there will be some classes that are larger than some parents would like. What we do know is that from all the evidence we have, our kids will be just fine, if not better, next year."

Board member Peter Breslin offered a ray of hope to parents.

"I'm not making promises, but sometimes the numbers change," he said, referring to changes in enrollment prior to the start of the new school year that would necessitate adding teachers to the payroll.

Board member Charles Day asked the administration to address the transporation costs included in the budget, totaling $1,146,000 million to purchase four large buses, seven smaller vans, and a radio communications system for all district buses.

Mike Jumper, assistant superintendent for business, explained the new communications system would replace a 22-year-old technologically out-of-date system and would enable the district to maintain contact with buses throughout the district or anywhere in the Northeast. "We've had two serious weather-related accidents, the [current] system is fragile and we can't defer it any longer," he said.

See the video clip posted here for Gordon's take on the transportation costs.

On the proposition authorizing the district to spend $5.9 million to replace boilers, fix roofs and complete other necessary building repairs, Jumper emphasized there would be no tax impact.

"The funding source is two-fold: We'll use approximately $164,000 left in the capital reserve fund leftover from the AP Farm Fields project and the remainder will be from savings achieved by our recent s bargaining agreement," he said, explaining that the district had set aside funds for retroactive pay which were not needed as a result of the agreement.

The board consensus was that the district needed to fund the improvements given aging equipment—some of the boilers in school buildings are over 50 years old— plus the potential to save on energy costs with the renovations. The $5.9 million will address approximately 20 percent of a

The budget and building renovations proposition will be up for a community vote on May 15.