WESTERLY — The Board of Finance has started its review of the School Committee’s proposed $59,276,033 budget for 2022-23, an $885,528 or 1.52%, increase from current spending.
The board kicked off its compressed season of reviewing spending plans for education, municipal government, the transfer station, and the water and sewer departments during a meeting dedicated to the proposed schools budget on Tuesday. The board will continue its review of the education budget during a meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. tonight in Council Chambers at Town Hall and may make a final recommendation either at the conclusion of the meeting or during a meeting scheduled or Saturday morning. The finance board serves in an advisory capacity and makes recommendations to the Town Council.
Cindy Kirchhoff, the school district’s director of finance and operations, presented the budget with School Committee Chairwoman Diane Chiaradio Bowdy sitting by her side. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Alica Storey was available remotely. Other members of the School Committee attended remotely via the internet or telephone connections.
Finance board members asked for clarification on a few points but mostly used the meeting to listen. They planned to send more detailed questions to school officials by e-mail and discuss those points this evening.
The proposed budget would require an appropriation of local tax funds of $50,025,674, a $966,211 or 1.97% increase from the current budget. The proposed increase in local tax funds to support the budget is partially driven by a 1% decrease in state aid to the district for special education.
Salaries and benefits for teachers and other district employees makes up $47.7 million of the proposed budget, an increase of $916,000, which breaks down to $533,000 for salaries, $117,000 for pension increases, $240,000 for health insurance and $26,000 for other employee benefits. The budget is based on the district having the equivalent of 489 full- time employees.
Purchased services are set to decrease by $279,000, expenditures for tuition for students who attend out of district schools for career and technical programs is set to decrease by $167,848, and charter school tuition is set to decrease by $100,715. Spending for supplies and materials would increase by $99,092 and equipment costs, including new technology hardware, would increase by $151,860 under the proposed budget.
The proposed budget is also based on a net decrease in district jobs equivalent to 1.89 positions. Proposed new positions include athletic trainer; special education teacher due to increased enrollment in an elementary school behavioral support program; a finance assistant to replace the deputy finance director position, which is slated for elimination; part-time coordinator of the career and technical program at Westerly High School, part-time social studies teacher; part-time paraprofessional; two executive assistant positions to replace two secretarial positions that will be eliminated; and two part-time special education positions.
Other positions that would be eliminated are four bus monitors, one bus driver and a part-time paraprofessional.
The district has reduced its employee base by more than 59 positions since 2019, according to Kirchhoff’s presentation.
Board Chairman Stephen Lynner said he planned to analyze the district’s employee numbers as they compare with student enrollment over time. Paula Brouillette, a member of the board, said the education officials had responded well to declining enrollment, but said they will need a plan for the future to cope with declining state aid as a result of fewer students attending district schools.
“I think they have done a good job managing that, but they continue to have a decline in the student population,” Brouillette said.
Board member Ken Julian asked whether officials had studied anticipated enrollment trends. Board members said they did not have up to date information.
A study of the district’s demographics by McKibben Demographics issued in 2021 concluded the number of students in the district would decline by 48 students from 2021-22 through 2026-27 and that student enrollment would increase by 122 students from 2026-27 through 2031-32. The study was conducted in conjunction with the town’s proposed school redesign project, which is under development.
