Board of Education Notebook: Public Reacts To Proposed Budget

• At Monday's Board of Education meeting and public forum, Ridgefield residents voiced their concerns over proposed cuts in the district's 2011-12 budget draft. Among the most visible of these concerns were those against cutting the German language program at the middle school level.

A number of high school students and parents involved with the German language program spoke to the board about the program's importance.

Students cited Germany's thriving economy and technological progress as important reasons to keep the program viable -- they spoke of the job-market and cultural advantages of a German education, as well.

Parents also spoke of the benefits the program has in the college application process.

"Colleges aren't cutting their (German) programs," Ridgefield High School parent Laura Howie said. "It gives RHS a competitive edge when we show we value our German programs, also."

• With the conference room newly decorated by the PTA with students' artwork, the environment was ideal for an appeal for the arts in the district, as well, which in the proposed budget would be cut to a half year.

One of these concerns, voiced multiple times, was over the fact that the music department would not experience as many cuts as the arts department under the proposed budget.

• The calendar for snow days was not an easy one this year with nine cancellations already in. The board decided Monday that Friday, June 24th would now be a school day, but rather than moving into the following week in June, any further snow days would be made up in the April vacation, excluding Good Friday.

"In April, students are still open to learning," Irene Burgess said, with agreement from the board.

Superintendent Deborah Low struggled to imagine what other changes would have to happen if more snow days were to occur.

"All bets are off this winter," Low said. Teachers and administrators are being asked to reschedule field trips, professional development days and private music lessons for more instructional time to ready students for CMTs.

• In the superintendent's report, Low said that the Ridgefield district scoredhighest in the state with the percentage of students scoring a three (out of five) or higher in Advanced Placement test.

She also reported that the district will be showing Vicki Abeles's "The Race to Nowhere," a documentary about the "epidemic" of stress at the grade-school level. The film will be shown 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at East Ridge Middle School -- make reservations at the Public Schools website. Because the showing has all but sold out, the PTA is organizing a second showing to be announced.

• The board discussed the Municipal Interlocal Risk Management Agency (MIRMA) issue and the Board of Selectmen's request that the Board of Education pay 40 percent of the balance due to the agency. MIRMA's premiums were too low for the three years the town was involved, leading to a charge of almost one million dollars over the next three.

The board decided it would wait until their questions about what happened with MIRMA were answered before moving forward with the payment. A major concern of the members was where the money would could be found this year and in the budgets of coming years.

"It would be irresponsible for us to pay a dime before it's clear to us," board member Richard Steinhart said.

"That would be unethical," Steinhart said in response to similar charges by members of the Board of Selectmen that not contributing to the account was unethical.