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Waterford board debates cutting elementary staff as budget pressures mount
Summary
At a budget workshop, the Waterford School District reviewed a proposal that would shift staffing toward secondary schools while reducing elementary positions at one school; board members and parents urged restoring at least one elementary teacher to protect small-class gains and limit chronic absenteeism.
The Waterford School District board heard intense scrutiny Tuesday over a proposed budget that would increase district costs largely for salaries and health insurance while cutting at least one elementary teaching position at Great Neck Elementary.
Superintendent Tom Gard, who opened with an executive summary, said about 80% of the district budget is personnel costs and that health insurance is expected to rise roughly $1,000,000 next year. "If you add up these totals it equals 100%. So roughly 80% of any board of education budget is going to be on the people end of things meaning staff and benefits," Gard said, describing salaries and insurance as the primary driver of the proposed increase.
The superintendent and budget staff showed board members and the public how remaining fixed costs—tuition for outplacements, energy, transportation—compose most of the rest of the increase. Gard summarized the drivers in percentages and directed the board to a fuller presentation recorded online for details.
Board discussion focused on a staff-reduction proposal at Great Neck Elementary. One board member reading a prepared statement warned that reducing elementary certified staff while increasing secondary positions risks reversing recent elementary test gains tied to smaller class sizes. "It is imperative, absolutely imperative, that we put back at least one certified teacher at the elementary level," the board member said.
Other board members pressed for data to support any reallocation. Several asked for a class‑size breakdown showing how adding a certified teacher would change next year’s numbers; district staff said adding one full‑time teacher costs roughly $116,000 (about $75,000 average salary plus $32,000 benefits). The superintendent acknowledged the change would push the budget increase above the board’s 5% comfort threshold if the board restores multiple elementary positions.
Nut Graf: The central choice presented to the board was whether to protect elementary class sizes—cited by staff and parents as crucial to early intervention and learning—at the expense of a larger overall budget, or to accept larger elementary classes and preserve funds for secondary staffing and other district priorities.
Board members also discussed options beyond adding staff, including revisiting athletics maintenance, summer academy funding and soundproofing as possible savings. The meeting included several requests that the district present concrete, lay‑language comparisons showing the budget with and without each proposed position.
Public comment tightened the focus: parents described improved attendance and well‑being in smaller classes and urged the board to retain current elementary staffing. Laura Rodriguez, a Waterford parent, told the board smaller classes allow "individualized attention" that catches learning gaps early. Another parent said her children had better school experience this year with smaller classes.
The board did not vote on the budget at the workshop; members asked staff to produce additional data and FTE scenarios for the next meeting. The workshop concluded with a motion to adjourn.
