Financial housekeeping for the Board of Education

SALISBURY — The surplus from the 2008-09 budget for Salisbury Central School is $36,374.92, Chairman Roger Rawlings reported to the Board of Education finance committee on Monday, Aug. 17.

A very preliminary assessment of the surplus last month indicated a much larger figure, but Rawlings emphasized at the time that the final figure would be considerably smaller.

The total amount left at the end of the school’s fiscal year (June 30) was $119,593.

Of that money, $33,136 is money that is left over from payments to the Region One School District for high school tuition and regional expenses, and goes back to the town; and $50,082 represents unused fuel oil. Over the summer four new fuel tanks were installed and the old tank was not refilled. That money will go into the fuel oil line on the 2009-10 budget.

The remaining surplus of $36, 374.92 will go into the school’s capital reserve fund (this is being done at the request of the town’s Board of Finance).

The board approved the contract for new board clerk Sue Bucceri.  The position pays $20.50 per hour, with an eight-hour day for 200 days and a five-hour day for 33 days during the summer.  

The position carries the same benefits as other non-certified staff, including health insurance; the clerk also works in the school office.

And the board approved the job description for a part-time secretary in the school office. The assistant secretary will get  $16.27 per hour for 25 hours a week. SCS Principal Chris Butwill said the position was “custom builtâ€� to meet the specific needs of the office. The board approved the job description, thus allowing Region One Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain to post the job listing.

At the meeting, Chamberlain also addressed the question of the H1N1 flu.

“The federal government is recommending we not close a school unless there are a significant number of cases� or if illness is interfering with education.

“We will be working with the Torrington Area Health District,� Chamberlain said. “Principals will have emergency plans. We are as prepared as we can be.�

Schools will emphasize hygiene, and should cases appear medically fragile students will be sent home first, with no penalty.

“If there are flu-like symtoms,� said Chamberlain, “stay home.�

In other business:

Rawlings said the finance committee had approved a new accounting system that will make the school’s finances easier to track.

Christy Cooper accepted an assignment to head the Language Arts program review committee, as did Brian Bartram for Character Education.