Budget and Trustee Vote May 17

Need to know:
One trustee position is up this year. Petitions from candidates are due in the district office by 5:00 pm April 18.
Voter registration for school district elections only will be May 10 in the Middle School Lobby.
Next Board meeting is April 5, 2011. The Board is looking at a below-contingency spending plan for the 2011-12 budget. Check back frequently at the Haldane School website for information and updates during this budget season.

Budget Discussions: continued 3/22/11

This notice is posted on the Haldane School home page:

The Haldane Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 7:00 pm in the Board Room of the Merritt Bldg for the purpose of continuing their discussions related to the 2011-12 School Budget. This meeting is open to the Public.

Pre-Budget Hearing, Online Learning & Tech Update, Building Condition Survey

At the March 15th Haldane Budget workshop the Board of Education will begin to scrutinize district spending choices and make decisions about where to cut for the draft budget. It will be a sober process as the Board has discussed the likelihood that cuts made to this budget may remain in effect for years to come, and might possibly not be reinstated at all. 
A program report on Virtual High School and a Technology Plan update will be presented at this meeting, as well as a Building Condition Survey. 
Liz Milner and Jackson Zuvic will receive official Board recognition for having achieved 1000 points in basketball. 
Please check the Haldane school website later in the week for the workshop draft agenda.

Haldane 2011-12 Budget Cut Proposals

At the March 1 Board of Education meeting Superintendent Villanti gave his proposal for achieving a below 2% tax increase in the 2011-12 Haldane School budget. These suggestions will receive careful consideration by the the Board, and for the next few meetings the Board will evaluate and discuss the spending plan which voters will be asked to approve on May 17. Following are Dr. Villanti's suggestions for cutting spending next year:

BUDGET REDUCTIONS & SAVINGS

• Reduce Spanish (new hire) to .6 FTE
• Sustain reduction of Special Ed. to .6 FTE
• Eliminate 1 typist through attrition
• Eliminate 1 teacher aide through attrition
• Reduce Occupational Therapy costs through previous in district hiring.
• Reduce summer school by $10K.
• Reduce special education tuition
• Reduce by 5% district, building & athletic budgets in materials and equipment
• Reduce O & M budget by $25K
• Eliminate bus purchases from base budget by $100K & offer as a proposition. Use capital reserve to fund.
• Reduce health care costs by $35K through increased buyouts and more efficient billing procedures.
• Freeze all new expenditures that are not Health & Safety related.
• Evaluate any resignations during school year for alternate means of providing services.
• Staff any new special education aides or teaching assistants through existing staffing.
• Accrue “breakage” from teacher retirements of $100K.

Total savings -- $482K

(source: Haldane School website)