School board asks Gilbert to share in budget cut

WINSTED — During a special Board of Education meeting on Thursday, April 28, district Business Manager Paul Petit suggested that, if residents approve the proposed town budget for fiscal 2011-12, The Gilbert School should share in any budget shortfalls.In a draft proposal presented by Petit to the board, he calculates that there will be a funding shortfall of $1,449,466 if the budget passes at the selectmen-approved figure of $18,600,000.If the Board of Education’s minimum budget requirement (MBR) is $20,049,466 — an amount estimated by the state in late April — the school district will have a funding shortfall of $1,361,094.To compensate, Petit asked, in his report, that the Board of Education and Gilbert share in any funding shortfall.Petit proposed that the Winchester Board of Education take 60 percent of the funding shortfall and Gilbert take 40 percent.As listed in Petit’s draft report, if the shortfall was approximately $1,449,000, the Winchester Board of Education would reduce its budget by $869,400 and Gilbert would reduce its budget by $579,600.When asked by a resident about the potential cut at the town meeting held on Monday, May 2, Gilbert School Corporation Chairman Steve Sedlack said no decision has been made by the school.“Under new rules of governance there has been a joint finance committee set up by the Board of Education and The Gilbert School,” Sedlack said. “We will sit down to discuss this budget reduction. This is a projection by the [school district’s] business manager. We have not made any agreements about percentages. It could be more or it could be less, but we have not talked about it yet, so stay tuned.”