Milford Schools Budget Plans: SROs, Salary Increases Detailed

Milford CT

14 October, 2020

10:58 AM

Description

MILFORD, CT — The Milford Board of Education is beginning to get ready for the upcoming budget year and have released several priorities. This is an unprecedented budget process for the school board as it has to deal with the uncertainty brought about by the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Some of the key findings released in a draft document by the school board include the fact that the SRO program will continue in the schools next year and that salaries will rise by on average 2 to 3 percent for all employees. Milford Board of Education Proposed 2021-22 Budget Priorities The charge of the Board is to develop a fiscally responsible budget that reflects the mission, vision, priorities and goals of the district. ● There are significant budgetary implications as a result of the COVID -19 pandemic on the 2020-2021 budget. It is assumed that there will be residual effects on the 2021-2022 budget but the extent is unpredictable at this time.● Enrollment will continue to decline in 2021-2022. At this time, it is unclear the effect that COVID-19 will have on the housing market and therefore, potentially on student enrollment in Milford Public Schools.● Decisions around staffing and program redesign or development will be driven by their potential impact on raising student achievement while honoring the commitment to be fiscally responsible.● Salaries for all employees will increase on average by 2-3%, which includes contractual "step" increases for employees. In addition, the cost of hourly employees will rise as we keep pace with the State's increasing minimum wage.● The current health insurance plan for retirees is estimated to increase by about 10-12%.● The cost of Special Education out-of-district tuition and transportation is very difficult to predict because it is based on the number of students needing services, which can fluctuate, and the severity of their individual needs. Based on experience and these variables, we estimate a 6 – 10% increase in tuition costs, and 6–8% increase in transportation.● Transportation costs will rise by approximately 3% reflecting the contractual increase with Durham Bus.● The cost of utilities is based on the rates times the volume or consumption of electricity and natural gas. The district has taken advantage of the near record low prices in the energy market by locking in pricing for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. Therefore, the price that we pay for natural gas and electricity will remain the same as our current pricing. The variable is our consumption. We have just experienced two mild winters in a row which reduced consumption. In addition, the COVID closure in March further reduced our consumption in 2019-2020 resulting in surpluses that were transferred into the non-lapsing account. However, because of COVID considerations, while we are in school, we need to run our exhaust systems as full capacity and for an expanded amount of time which will raise our consumption. Therefore, it is anticipated that our final budget will be approximately what was budgeted in the current 2020-2021 year.● The Board's participation in the SRO program will continue as will our 50% funding share.● Efforts to find efficiencies within the budget will continue to be sought.