A zero increase

WINSTED — After meeting with the first selectmen of Barkhamsted, Norfolk, New Hartford and Colebrook about the 2009-10 budget, Northwestern Regional School District  accomplished what it was asked: It proposed a zero-percent increase in the budget.

The spending plan was presented at last Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting.

Northwestern is currently following the 2008-09 budget, which was a 3.9-percent increase over the spending plan for the 2007-08 fiscal year.

Superintendent Clint Montgomery said that coming up with a zero-percent budget increase was difficult, but the school system didn’t have much of a choice. It had to give the towns what they wanted.

“We presented a proposed budget to the Board of Education that reflected the economic times,� Montgomery said. “We wanted to respond to the challenges we are facing by coming in with no increase.�

For Montgomery, the real challenge is just beginning. Coming up with a zero-percent increase is hard enough; seeing it through will be an extremely difficult, especially in a period such as this, when it’s unclear what the future holds.

“How do we maintain Region 7 to the standards we have established already...with these increadible economic times?� Montgomery asked. His answer: with planning.

“At zero percent there really is no room for error or surprise,� he said.

It wasn’t only the 2009-10 fiscal  year that was taken into consideration; two additional budget cycles needed to be planned for as well.

Details of the spending plan

Montgomery said few if any members of the staff and faculty will be layed off. However, two teachers voluntarily resigned and 3.8 positions were reduced by staff requests.

Five additional teachers will be retiring, thanks to a retirement initiative that was offered to eligible teachers. They were offered the option of either $10,000 or one year of paid benefits.

“Our true goal was to minimize [laying off] the number of people who wanted to stay, could stay, by offering a benefit to those who wanted to retire or resign,� said Montgomery.

In addition to salary decreases, Montgomery said the budget, which originally called for an $880,225 increase, was decreased in several other areas.

Negotiations led to a 5-percent decrease in insurance costs, and $180,266 was reduced from administrative costs, including some field trips and supplies.

Montgomery said few programs were cut.

“It was a broad desire to maintain as many programs and classes for students as possible. We have alot of good opportunities and true variety that keeps us as good a middle and high school program as possible,� said Montgomery.

Cost to the towns

While the school’s budget was kept to a zero-percent increase, the cost of tuition to the towns did not stay the same. Tuition is charged to the four towns based on the number of students they send to the school.

The tuition is calculated using the 2009-10 cost-per-student;  and the number of students who were attending the school on Oct. 1, 2008.

Three of the four towns will see an increase in tuition for the 2009-10 fiscal year,  based on an increase in students that year from the 2007 school year  (Barkhamsted added 10, New Hartford nine and Norfolk seven). Colebrook had four fewer students.

Based on those numbers, Barkhamsted will be looking at an increase in its assessment of $45,057. Norfolk will see an increase of $68,593.

While New Hartford is sending more students, their total cost will actually decrease from last year, since they are charged a greater percentage based on their size, and will have a $36,905 reduction from this year.

Colebrook, which saw a dramatic increase last year, will see a $100,649 reduction.

Over the next couple of months, Montgomery said that Northwestern will be meeting with each of the towns to conduct budget workshops to go over the proposal and see if any changes need to be made.

A vote to accept or reject the budget is anticipated to be held in May should the towns decide to bring the zero-percent increased budget to referendum.