Southwick School Business Manager Stephen Presnal, rear left, and John D. Barry, rear center, discuss a document during last night’s school committee meeting in Southwick. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
SOUTHWICK – The $23,261,708 budget was approved by the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Committee last night.
Superintendent John Barry and Business Manager Steve Presnal presented the budget, which is balanced after several changes.
Barry said the budget was over by about $100,000 and looked like it would rise when the Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative offered a decrease and credit to its member school districts. That, coupled with some cuts, brought the budget in balance.
“We have a reduction of two paraprofessionals, which are both need-based and they are no longer needed because of IEPs,” Barry said.
Barry and Presnal said they met with the Southwick Finance Committee Monday night and the school finance subcommittee Tuesday morning to make cuts to get the budget balanced.
“This looks a lot better than it did this morning,” said Committee Chairman James Vincent.
Barry said state funds are decreasing, making it difficult to keep the budget numbers down.
“State aid is not going to be helping us – it’s leveling off,” said Barry.
The committee also approved the regional school assessment ratios of 84.89-percent operating assessment for Southwick, 3.23-percent for Tolland, and 11.88-percent for Tolland. The capital assessment for Southwick was approved at 86.69-percent, 3.64-percent for Tolland, and 12.67-percent for Granville. Southwick’s total assessment was $10,044,395, Tolland was $479,663, and Granville was $1,734,808.
“Keep in mind [the assessment] includes the principal on interest payments on the bond for the building project,” Barry said.
