The Stamford finance board recently proposed a $2.9 million cut in the city Board of Education’s budget, according to a Stamford Advocate report. Superintendent of Schools Winifred Hamilton said the Board of Representatives has yet to review the school budget, which could lead to further cuts.
Overall, the finance board proposed dropping the schools budget from $252 million to $249 million. Although the cut is just a little more than 1 percent, it would be a sizable reduction in a city that doesn’t often see budget trims, according to the report.
Hamilton and her staff plan to meet April 21 to discuss what the school district will keep on its budget and what it will cut.
The finance board recommended the school board cut $810,000 for administrative interns at the elementary schools, $90,000 for a principal of a school that doesn’t exist yet, $140,000 for a technology support teacher stipend and $100,000 in custodial overtime expenses. It also suggested trimming the position and transportation costs for the fifth-grade middle school magnet program.
Although the finance board offered suggestions on what to cut and reasons for the cut, the school board is ultimately responsible for making the decisions, said Dudley Williams Jr., a finance board member, in the report.
Many of the Stamford elementary schools are crowded, and Hamilton said she plans to move the fifth-graders to magnet middle school programs at Scofield and Rippowam during the next two years. Most likely, busing costs won’t be as high as originally projected, she said.
Meanwhile, the city of Stamford is searching to buy a new school property, which is one reason Hamilton budgeted money for a new school principal for the second half of 2015.
Ultimately, the news of the budget cut will mean not filling some positions and possibly reducing central office staff, Hamilton said in the report.
