Board vows to keep school budget increase to 3.16 percent

KENT — The Kent Center School Board of Education will try to keep its requested budget increase to a bare minimum this year, vowed Chairman Karren Garrity. Expenses are increasing, and state aid is likely to decrease this year, but the board will make every effort to cut costs, she said.

The process of preparing a budget is still in the early stages, Garrity said, but the board is setting a goal of no more than a 3.16-percent increase.

“However, the budget is still very much a moving target,� she warned. “There are still numbers we are waiting on, but we started the budget process early and I think we are in good shape.�

Garrity said that the small increase from one school year to the next is not unusual for the district, which had a 5-percent increase from the 2007-2008 to the 2008-2009 school years.

“Ironing out the budget has been very challenging,� she said. “We have been looking at the numbers through a magnifying glass, taking out things that we think staff and faculty can do without on a short-term basis.�

Cuts so far include postal expenses; the board will  encourage its members to use more e-mail communications and fewer letters through the postal system. The board is also conducting energy audits to see how much electricity the school building uses.

“We have been talking to solar companies about possibly installing solar panels on the building, but there are no definite plans yet,� Garrity said. “We have also had to cut back on teaching supplies and workshops and travel for Principal Rima Zelvis, and we are considering postponing buying some textbooks. As for cutbacks on programs for students, we are hoping there will not be any. But we will do what we have to do.�