Hebron Dollars & Sense

What is listed on the Hebron School site (the percentages of schools offering ADK) appears to be correct.  My figures are a little higher and I pulled the current year information.  What she is NOT saying is:

ONLY 20% offer only the ADK form of Kindergarten .. there are no other choices.  Hebron currently offers Full and half day -- the plan is to have everyone in All day Kindergarten in Hebron.  Enrollment is less in those schools too ... Andover (42 kids), Bethany (53), Columbia (61).  In 2010-2011.  Hebron had 36 in Full day program and 76 in half day for a total of 112 kids .. more than the other districts with FULL all-day.

Here is the rolled up sheet for what I pulled off the DOE site for forms of Kindergarten in 2010-2011 school year.  You can check these yourself on the CEDAR site of the CT DOE. 

The Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal Responsibility is a broad and growing alliance of municipal boards - ranging from Town and City Councils to Boards of Selectmen, Aldermen, Education, and Finance - who think that more focus needs to be placed on strengthening the ability of locally elected leaders to effectively manage their towns own fiscal affairs. Simply put... we think the steadily deteriorating municipal fiscal atmosphere throughout CT is at least as much an expenditure problem as it is a revenue issue... and know that Connecticut CAN do better!

To date... approaching 200 boards representing over 100 towns and cities across the state have joined in endorsing the Consortium - a bipartisan and grassroots cost-management initiative whose platform focuses on three fiscal reforms that are common to the three legislative agendas of COST, CABE, and CCM. There is strength in numbers... as we grow our ranks and prepare to weigh in against powerful special interests that seem able to run the legislature.

Map of Members by Towns and Districts
Revised: April 9, 2010

What would your taxes be for FY 2010-11 if the second town budget referendum on May 18th passes?

We have recalculated the spreadsheet, based on the minimal $48,500 reduction to the Hebron Board of Education budget.  If passed, it would be a .94 mill increase, which equates to a 3.33% increase in your taxes. As you can see, the average increase in taxes would be $193.94, and the average increase in your taxes since 2008 would be $585.95.

What is of greatest concern continues to be the significant reduction in revenue predicted for next year, the lack of stimulus money which is funding part of this current FY 2010-11 budget (which will NOT be there next year, and will need to be replaced with taxpayer dollars or significant reductions made), and the continued onslaught of unfunded mandates and union-dictated salary and step increases that far exceed any increases the public sector is seeing.

By David Huck
Journal Inquirer
Published: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:56 AM EST

HEBRON — The Board of Education has adopted a $12.01 million budget for 2012-13 that includes an expansion of all-day kindergarten.

The spending plan represents a 1.85 percent increase, or $218,373, over the current year’s $11.79 million budget. In December, Superintendent Eleanor Cruz presented a $12.25 million budget proposal that sought $458,473 more in spending but recently revised the recommendation to make it more “palatable to the community,” she said.

Voting against the plan were Republicans Amy Lynch-Gracias and Dominic Marino.

Health insurance costs are up 22 percent or $265,000, and teachers will get 4.43 percent raises next year. The budget also accounts for a loss of $176,000 in federal education jobs money. There are no staff layoffs under the proposal.

Enrollment in the town’s two schools is expected to drop by 8.5 percent, or 89 students, from 1,047 students to 958 next school year.

Eight early retirements — of which only one will be filled — and a reduction of the director of special education’s position from full-time to three days a week will bring some of the savings to carry out the kindergarten expansion. Cruz said she would assume the responsibilities of the special education director for the other two days of the week.

“There’s nothing being sacrificed for all-day kindergarten,” Cruz said. Current staff will teach the added sections, she said, and the school system already has materials, supplies, and furniture to support the program.