Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Superintendent Jennifer Willard presents the proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget Feb. 25, 2020 along with Director of Finance and Operations Stephen Presnal. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
Budget includes savings in transportation, eliminates three positions
SOUTHWICK – Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Superintendent Jennifer Willard Feb. 25 presented the district’s $26.3 million budget during a public meeting with the Southwick Select Board.
The presentation highlighted educational initiatives, enrollment, transportation, assessments and capital improvements. Willard said the budget includes cutting three Unit A teaching positions but declined to comment further because it’s a personnel issue.
Initiatives outlined include more social-emotional support at Woodland Elementary School, professional development in coordination with Mount Holyoke College and Universal Design for Learning, investments in technology in year two of the 1:1 Technology Initiative, Field Test Tier 1 Core curriculum in reading and writing and updating the district strategic plan with teacher input.
Willard said foundation enrollment continues to decline. She explained that “foundation” enrollment is the number of students who live within the district who receive public education, including those who use school choice to attend school out-of-district.
“Since FY13, every year our foundation enrollment is slowly declining,” Willard said.
Repairs and paving at Powder Mill School parking lot is a capital improvement item in the proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The lot, which is used daily for dropping off and picking up students, has several large potholes and cracks. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
In FY13 there were 1,800 students in the district and the projection for FY21 is 1,415 students.
“The great news is that our school choice numbers continue to go up,” she said, adding that more students are choosing to attend virtual high school than ever before.
Willard said from FY 19-21, in Southwick, there is a net loss of 23 students, a loss of nine students in Tolland and Six students in Granville. The district has 50 students in FY20 that use school choice to attend a different district while 131 students attend Southwick-Tolland-Regional schools under school choice.
Director of Finance and Operations Stephen Presnal said fixed costs will increase $583,500, including $500,000 in salary and wage adjustments, $35,000 for group health insurance, $69,000 for contractual obligations, $4,500 for CTEC tuition and $45,000 for pension assessment.
The minimum contribution from the three district communities will increase, as will Chapter 70 funding. Presnal outlined a proposed outsourcing of transportation to the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative which would result in an overall savings from the sale of the district’s fleet and leasing of the transportation building, as well as future capital improvement avoidances.
The assessment to the three towns in the district would all increase, with Southwick’s share increasing $242,562, Tolland’s increasing $12,274 and Granville’s increasing $26,210.
Capital needs are projected at $385,000, which Willard said is less than usual because of transportation outsourcing. Projects on tap next year include paving the Powder Mill School drop-off lot at $150,000, a hot water heater for Powder Mill at $20,000, supplemental heating in the Southwick Regional School vestibule at $30,000, Regional School gymnasium upgrade at $50,000, grounds and maintenance equipment at $20,000, purchase of walk-off matting at $15,000 and district IT needs at $100,000.
Some audience members questioned a few of the capital items. One parent asked about the paving and thought it had been done last year.
Willard said the lot on Feeding Hills Road was paved, but the lot slated for improvement next year is the Powder Mill Road lot where students are dropped off and picked up daily.
Another resident questioned the price of the hot water heater.
“This isn’t like a residential heater,” replied Presnal.
Overall, Willard believes the district is presenting a fiscally responsible budget that focuses on children and education.
