Community Corner

Serio Proposes 5.5 Percent School Budget Increase

But East Haven BOE finance subcommittee chairman Christine Maisano said the school board will be taking a "zero-based budget approach" to the district's 2012-13 spending plan.

Superintendent of Schools Anthony Serio presented the first draft of his proposed 2012-13 operating budget to the Board of Education last night.

The $46,735,223 request represents a 5.5 percent increase — or $2,435,223 — over the district's current spending plan of $44,300,000.

Jason Lathrop, the district's business administrator, provided a brief overview of Serio's budget at last night's regularly scheduled at . (That overview, as well as other school budget-related documents, are posted in the gallery that accompanies this article).

Zero-based Budget Approach

But the school board is going to take a different approach to its budget cycle this year, according to finance subcommittee chairman Christine Maisano, working from the ground up to develop and finalize its new operating budget,

"We start from zero and we base it up," Maisano said at last night's meeting.

"It's very difficult to do," Maisano said of zero-based budget development. "But I think it's the best thing we can do based upon what the audit came back on."

Find out what's happening in East Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The finance subcommittee chairman was referring to newly released . In it, the auditors note several difficiencies in the school district's bookkeeping. (East Haven Patch will have a follow up article regarding the report's findings later today).

Maisano said the finance board subcommittee will hold another meeting Tuesday, Jan. 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m., at the high school. The meeting will provide school board members their first opportunity to discuss the administration's proposed budget, as well as the town audit's findings and other financial issues.

Find out what's happening in East Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Loss of Grants, Increase in Costs

Although the superintendent did not formally address the board during last night's meeting, in his budget document Serio stated that "the loss of grants at the federal, state and local levels has significantly impacted this budget"

He noted that the ARRA Federal Stimulus Grant of more than $1 million runs out in June.

"These federal dollars were used to supplement school district budgets coming out of the last year of the State’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Grant to all of Connecticut’s communities," Serio stated. "Loss of these funds will have a significant impact on our district and our schools."

Other Budget Highlights

Other highlights of the proposed budget, according to Serio, include:

  • Revenues Decrease by ($678K) or 1.4%
  • Expenses Increase by $1,757,158 or 3.6%
  • Expiration of ARRA Jobs Fund represents 2.25% loss of revenue
  • Carryover IDEA grant loss impacts general fund by $307K
  • Continue repayment of workers’ compensation self-insurance deficit
  • Continued utility savings: Solar Generation and Natural Gas Contracts
  • Transportation increase driven by contractual increases and special education enrollment
  • Instructional materials approximately level year over year
  • Tuition increases 5% over 2011-2012 budget levels
  • Continues to restore proper facilities maintenance model, subject to capital improvement plan

"While a significant increase, medical costs, contractual obligations and the continued loss in grant revenues represent the vast majority of this increase," Serio stated in his draft budget document.

Staff Eliminated, Hours Reduced

Serio noted that given the district's reality of increasing costs and loss of revenue — as well as drops in enrollment — the administration has "already eliminated staff and reduced hours in several departments."

In the proposed budget, three teachers have been eliminated at the elementary level due to class size reductions: a first and a kindergarten teacher at Deer Run School, and a second grade teacher at

"Six aides have been eliminated due to changing student needs. Hours of many aid positions have been reduced to 19.5 hours," Serio stated. "Library aide hours have been reduced to 15 per week."

East Haven Patch will continue to cover the development, and the eventual adoption, of the final proposed board of education budget.

(Editor's note: Due to an error in the East Haven School District's staffing detail document for the proposed 2012-13 budget, the staffing reductions at Deer Run School were incorrectly reported in this article as a "first and second grade teacher." The correct reductions are a first grade and a kindergarten teacher. The article has been edited to reflect the accurate reductions at the school.)


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