Machine-extracted text of a publicly
posted document, provided for reference and search. The original document at
the link above is authoritative.
Colchester Public Schools
Budget Questions – May 12, 2020
Q. What are the necessary Capital Improvement Projects in order of priority?
A. The Capital Reserve will be at $429,000 unexpended with a potential increase with
some end of year monies from this fiscal year. The following items are a priority (not in
order) that were included in the original proposed budget, totaling $87,250. The plan was
to use existing reserve funds to finish these projects in the 2020-21 school year. The
remaining reserve would be $341,750 plus any additional EOY funds from this fiscal year.
● BA:
o Roof Repairs $5,000
o HVAC Repairs $8,000
o Resurface Track $43,750
● JJIS
o Heating System Repair - $13,650
● CES
o Window Replacement $7,000
o AC Unit $9,850
Q. Please distinguish between unappropriated reserve ($429?) and capital reserve ($349?
everything but $75k is allocated to a specific project).
A. Assigned Fund Balance $429,771.29:
At the end of each fiscal year, budgeted appropriations lapse for any funds that have not
been expended or encumbered. Per a joint resolution adopted by the BOF, BOS and BOE in
December 2005, the BOE Capital Reserve Fund was established. Per this resolution, any
Unexpended/Unencumbered BOE budgeted funds shall be appropriated to the BOE Capital
Reserve Fund following the requirements of the Town Charter as it pertains to
appropriations. Any such unexpended/unencumbered funds are reflected as Assigned Fund
Balance in the Town's audited financial statements until such time that the funds are
appropriated.
The current balance of this portion of Assigned Fund Balance is $429,771.29. This balance
was generated from the FY 18/19, FY 17/18 and FY 16/17 BOE budget unexpended/
unencumbered balances. As noted, these funds have not been appropriated, and cannot be
expended until appropriated.
BOE Capital Reserve:
1
v.1 05/12/2020
The BOE Capital Reserve Fund reflects the activity and balances of appropriations that have
been approved and are accounted for in this fund. As shown on the quarterly report as of
3/31/20 (copy attached), the total unexpended/unencumbered balance for all projects for
which appropriations have been approved is $349,385.07. Of this amount, $75,685.45 is the
unexpended/unencumbered balance for School Building Maintenance items.
BOE Budget - Capital Outlay & Transfers to BOE Capital Reserve
The original Superintendent’s budget proposal included an amount of $215,735 for Capital
allocated as follows:
● Capital Outlay (281007-48734) in the amount of $106,250 for projects to be
completed during the fiscal year
● Transfer to BOE Capital Reserve (260007-50205) in the amount of $109,485 for
projects & future capital needs being funded over multiple years’ budgets.
The Transfer to BOE Capital Reserve amount was then increased by $40,000 by the BOE
before presenting the budget to the BOF.
Q. Can you clarify dollar figures for M&J savings between the two fiscal years
(2019/2020; 2020/2021).
A. Rough estimates are a savings of $76,000 this fiscal year and a credit in July 2020 of
approximately $15,000. The savings this year will be used as EOY funds to offset supplies,
cafeteria fund shortfall, or placed into reserve. The finance office is working with M&J on
exact numbers in the next few weeks for month invoices and a contractual amendment.
Q. How will “Integrationist Stipends” be used in place of a Technology Integrationist?
A. The technology integration stipends are in our current budget and we have four staff
members, one in each building, who receive this stipend to assist teachers with integrating
technology into their instruction. These are additional duties above and beyond their regular
position and they will now continue in these roles for next year. The proposed budget had a
full time integrationist to replace the four part time positions to meet the needs of our
teachers.
Q. Where is the Special Education Teacher reduction coming from?
A. There are two special education retirements at BA and due to the drop in the number of
students with an IEP we are able to reduce the overall number of special education teachers
by 1.0 FTE and still meet the needs of students in all buildings. Director of Special
Education and Pupil Services Kathleen Perry worked closely with the building
administration to determine the needs of students at each level and ensure that they can be
met with the new staffing number.
2
v.1 05/12/2020
Q. Where is the 0.4 teacher reduction at Bacon Academy coming from?
A. The reduction will be determined as soon as the final schedule has been completed at
BA. Each year, as a typical function of high school scheduling, some classes may or may
not run based on student selection. In addition, as the student population has declined over
the past few years it has reduced the need for teachers. Each year as the schedule is created
efficiencies can be determined to still have reasonable class sizes and course offerings.
Q. Paraprofessionals 4.0 – Where exactly are coming from? What is the number of
remaining paraprofessionals in the school and how are they utilized? Is there a
greater need for paraprofessionals with distance learning?
A. The total proposed reduction of paraprofessionals is seven. Of these seven, four were
recent reductions of two at CES, one at JJIS, and one at WJJMS. Three of the seven were in
the original budget proposal and were reduced at CES to offset the need for the teaching
position of Math Interventionist at CES. The remaining number of paraprofessionals is just
over 80. Our outstanding paraprofessionals fill a number of roles throughout the district,
from math and reading intervention, direct support to students with IEPs, supporting our
libraries and nurses offices. The reductions were made as a result of the general enrollment
decline and the specific decline this year in the number of students with IEPs. The
reductions were done in collaboration between the special education office and the building
administration. The remaining staff will be able to continue appropriate services for our
students.
Q. How are the WJJMS Clubs to be funded?
A. The WJJMS Student Activity Fund is going to fund the WJJMS Clubs for one school
year.
Q. How will the Safe Futures program be funded at WJJMS?
A. The funds will be requested from the WJJMS PTO.
Q. What is the role of the “Greeter” and what are the ramifications of cutting the position
at CES?
A. The role of the greeter, or Entrance Security Personnel, is to provide additional security
at the entrance to CES, JJIS, and BA. The Entrance Security Personnel has a desk,
activation controls for the doors in and out of the space (lobby at JJIS & CES, vestibule at
BA), and a computer with a visitor ID and log entry system that produces a visitor specific
ID badge and checks the visitor’s ID against the national sex offender registry. The
reduction of the position at CES would continue the current way in which visitors are
buzzed into the school and are required to check in at the main office visitor’s desk. This
position will be postponed for one year as it is part of the district’s long-range security plan.
3
v.1 05/12/2020
Q. BOE Professional Development – what does this cover? Can this be cut more?
A. Last year the BOE decided discontinue their membership with CABE due to the expense
compared to the services gained and the approximately $9,500 dues were shifted to BOE
professional development to pay for Board members to attend the CABE/CAPSS
conference in November and for Board members to attend any other professional
development conference hosted by CABE, CAPSS, RESCs, or any other organization.
These funds can also be used for Board orientations and roles/responsibilities workshops.
The proposed 2020-21 budget had an original amount of $8,080 and the most recent round
of reductions suggested a reduction of $2,000. The CABE/CAPSS conference registration
fee is approximately $600 per attendee.
Q. What is the impact on the cafeteria fund in the current fiscal year and what is the
potential impact on the fiscal year?
A. The estimated shortfall this fiscal year is between $70,000 and $80,000 and end of year
funds will be used to cover this amount leaving the fund whole prior to the start of next
year. At this time, it is too early to tell what the school year will look like for the 2020-21
school year and we will address any significant challenges to the cafeteria fund as we will
with all of the challenges that may be presented to us next year.
Q. Is the “Dedicated Webmaster” still in the budget? ($2,808)
A. Yes, this is a necessary position to assist in the move to the new website that will need to
be completed before our current vendor removes all support in December, 2020.
Q. Can Board members be more involved in the budget process this summer as the district
plans ahead for future difficulties.
A. Of course, the Board and the administration can collaboratively develop priorities
and address the potential issues in future budgets. It is the responsibility of the
educational professionals of the administration to develop the details of the budget to
best address the needs of the students and the district based on the priorities set by the
BOE.
Q. What are some targeted "non-annualized" costs that can be in the FY 2020-2021
budget that will place CPS in a good position for the subsequent two years?
A. A significant majority of items in the budget are “annualized” other than capital
improvement costs, such as the BA track. Items like the textbooks at BA are cycled
over the years under a relatively fixed cost to different departments on a rotating
cycle.
4
v.1 05/12/2020