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Windsor Locks school board delays final vote on $34.05 million FY25 budget amid dispute over staffing cuts
Summary
The Windsor Locks Board of Education on May 14, 2024 postponed a final vote on the proposed $34,051,186 FY25 budget after lengthy discussion over proposed staff reductions and a public appeal to reconsider cuts; the board agreed to vote after the town budget vote on May 21.
The Windsor Locks Board of Education on May 14, 2024 delayed a final vote on the proposed $34,051,186 fiscal year 2025 budget after hours of discussion over staffing reductions and a public plea to reconsider cuts.
Superintendent Shawn Parkhurst told the board the Board of Finance had granted temporary approval of a $34,051,186 FY25 figure and reviewed recommended reductions leadership compiled to reach that target, including a slate of 29 line-item reductions and proposed changes affecting teaching and administrative positions.
Parkhurst reviewed the recommended reductions and related fiscal trade-offs; the leadership recommendation included eliminating or reducing 11 teaching positions (with three listed as layoffs), cutting one administrative assistant position, and other program and staffing adjustments. Parkhurst presented the list of proposed reductions and discussed details with school leaders and board members.
The board debated how to respond to the proposed cuts. Board member A. Osorio moved and G. Guyette seconded a motion to table discussion and/or vote on the FY25 budget; that motion passed 4-1 (yes: K. Christianson, L. Cutler, A. Osorio and G. Guyette; abstain: D. Gragnolati). Following public comment and further discussion, the board later voted (G. Guyette moved; L. Cutler seconded) to postpone a final vote on the budget until after the town budget vote scheduled for May 21, 2024; that motion passed 3-1 (yes: L. Cutler, A. Osorio and G. Guyette; no: D. Gragnolati). A subsequent motion by D. Gragnolati to approve the budget as proposed received no second and died.
During the public comment period, Jennifer Long, an art teacher at South Elementary School, urged the board to reconsider staffing cuts, saying they would “negatively impact teaching a high quality education for students” and asked the board to reconsider any staffing cuts. Chairperson Kylee Christianson told the board she was not comfortable approving reductions as presented and thanked the leadership team for continuing to seek alternatives to layoffs.
Next steps: the board will reconsider the budget at a special meeting on May 22, 2024 after the town vote on May 21, 2024. No final budget decisions were made at the May 14 meeting.
