Superintendent, Board Discuss Possible Cuts To Reach $850K Reduced Budget Increase

There’s no doubt Deborah Low has been busy lately.

The school superintendent, charged for exactly one week with the task of suggesting ways to cut $850 thousand from what she called a “lean” budget from the outset, presented those ideas Monday night to the Board of Education and to a standing-room-only crowd at the Town Hall Annex.

“We’ve taken a slow and steady approach with these suggestions to avoid a knee-jerk reaction,” Low said. “And that’s all they are – suggestions. To call them recommendations sounds a little too positive.”

To reach the $850 thousand number approved by the Board of Finance last Monday, the largest savings Low found was a possible (unconfirmed) savings of $206,300 as a result of the energy conservation project funded by the capital budget.

“It’s really important that the capital budget gets passed, though,” board member John Palermo said to the public, “or we’ll already need to find $200 thousand more.”

Other possible savings included the MIRMA payment of about $68 thousand, which the finance board shifted to a special fund; a further increase in the number of school staff opting for a Health Savings Account for a possible savings of about $75 thousand; and an unknown amount from working with the bus company to have fewer buses.

Of the last option, board member Amy Shinohara is taking the reins, trying to convince parents to opt out of sending their children on the bus, as a commitment from parents on this matter might help the district renegotiate its existing contract.

A possible redistricting was mentioned by several members of the board and the public, and Low mentioned it was a possibility, but upon going into detail with regards to the amount of savings available through redistricting versus the hassle and effect on families, the option became a little less viable to some.

The total amount of savings in this phase was about $350 thousand, encompassing aspects Low was fairly confident would represent the kind of savings the district might see.

The next phase led her into territory she nor many in the room wanted to see.

For an extra $500 thousand out of the original budget, Low suggested possibly increasing fees at the high school for transportation, sports, clubs or parking; cutting one full-time secretary and one full-time paraprofessional from the high school; further reducing maintenance, technology, curriculum development and staff training across all nine schools; and reducing other full-time positions and administration.

It was clear that Low opted with these suggestions to stay away from classrooms and programs, and many on the board commended the last week’s efforts to find this amount without coming to that.

But some possible cuts were mentioned that would affect the music program, putting Ridgefield well beyond the rest of the DRG in its start times, as well as possible cuts to the Family and Consumer Science classes and even to a special education teacher.

“This is definitely eroding the quality of our schools,” Low said. “We tried to stick to the behind-the-scenes kind of stuff, but there is no doubt we’re whittling away at quality here.”

The budget will go to referendum in May after a series of school and town meetings.