School Cuts Upheld By Town Voters
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 15:00 CDT
By MEAGHAN WIMS
SEEKONK -- Voters at Monday's Annual Town Meeting approved a $39.6-million budget for the next fiscal year, leaving intact the $794,000 cut to the School Department's budget proposal.
The spending plan for the year beginning July 1 represents a 3.3- percent, or $1.3-million increase over the current year.
The more than four-hour meeting drew 239 of the town's registered voters, who approved all but one item on the meeting warrant -- a proposal to rent part of the public safety complex's property for a communications tower.
Voters also rejected School Committee member Robert McLintock's proposal to move $175,000 out of the capital spending budget to the school district's operating budget to help pay for a new, $250,000 all-day kindergarten program. That motion failed.
The School Department had requested a $19.6-million operating budget, a $1.3-million, or 7-percent increase, over its current- year budget. The budget called for adding 16 new positions, including 6 teachers and aides for a new full-day kindergarten program, as well as 8 special-education teachers, nurses and aides to serve students with learning, physical and behavioral problems who now must be bused outside the Seekonk district.
It was unclear yesterday how the School Department will absorb the cut to its budget proposal. The School Committee met at the high school in closed session last night on the issue, but wasn't expected to vote on any budget cuts.
Schools Supt. Emile Chevrette said last night that he was disappointed with the turnout at the Town Meeting. It's now unlikely that all-day kindergarten will start next year, he said.
"Parents knew when they signed up for all-day K what the situation was" with the budget, Chevrette said. "They assured us they would be there [at Town Meeting]. That didn't materialize."
Chevrette said he still supports full-day kindergarten, but the school district will probably have to wait another year to add it. He said he expects, though, that the school district will still hire the new special-education staff. He declined to discuss any of his other recommendations to slim the schools budget.
"We'll have to live within the budget," he said.
Town Meeting voters also approved $543,626 in capital expenditures, including $100,000 for architectural and engineering work in preparation for building a new senior/community center, a new Department of Public Works dump truck, an ultraviolet light disinfection system for the Seekonk High School pool, sprinkler systems at town fields and ceiling and lighting replacements at the Seekonk Public Library.
Voters agreed that the town annual report, starting next year, shall include a listing of all municipal employees' annual gross wages. They also voted to establish an ad-hoc committee to oversee the creation of the town's first public park at the former landfill behind the town library, to establish a commission on disabilities and to empower the Board of Selectmen to rent the old Town Hall building.
Seekonk mwims@projo.com / (401) 277-7582
Originally published by MEAGHAN WIMS, Journal Staff Writer.
(c) 2008 Providence Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Providence Journal
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