Shelton teachers agree to help district close budget gap

SHELTON -- The dozens of school employees who were bracing for layoffs after the new year can breathe a bit easier after an agreement was reached Monday afternoon that eliminates that possibility.

The unions that represent school employees -- from administrators to teachers to clerical staff -- agreed to "loan" the school system a day and a half's pay in order to help close the $700,000 gap in the current year's school budget.

The employees won't forgo the pay completely -- they'll get it when they retire or leave the district -- but agreeing to work the hours without getting paid now will save the system more than $300,000.

The unions "overwhelmingly" agreed to the plan, teacher's union president Deb Keller said, after recently rejecting a request for two furlough days. What was different this time, she said, was that the latest proposal came with a guarantee that no one would be laid off, something administrators couldn't promise the first time around. Without any concession, administrators were poised to send out 69 pink slips to paraprofessionals, reading tutors and newly hired teachers.

"Unfortunately it took a crisis of this magnitude to bring everyone to the table," board member Arlene Liscinsky said. "I hope this is something we can continue as a community as a whole."

And especially, several school officials said, next spring, when the school board goes before the Board of Apportionment and Taxation and the Board of Aldermen to ask for a $66.5 million budget for the 2010-11 school year that the school board approved Monday.

"We are going to need your support," board chairman Tim Walsh said. "We are going to need you sitting out in the audience then."

Last year there was one parent at the budget hearings: now-board member Kate Kutash. "I was the only parent sitting out there," she said, imploring other parents to take up the cause.

The proposed budget includes a 5.6 percent increase. But the current budget is a zero percent increase over last year's budget, Walsh said, so that would equal a 2.8 percent increase for the two years.

But many weren't happy with that budget because it cuts many extracurricular activities such as marching band and the high school varsity hockey team. Several parents and students told the board that those activities are an important part of a student's education and can't be cut.

"The marching band is a great activity for all the kids who don't play sports," said Shelton Intermediate School eighth-grader Rebecca Zaleski, who is a member of the Shelton High School marching band.

Being able to take part in the high school band while still in intermediate school has been a great experience, she said, and one that will make the transition to high school easier.

Hockey team members were equally as passionate about their activity. "This sport plays a huge role in our lives," said team co-captain Dan Guerrera. "We learn responsibility and develop strong friendships."

While approving the budget, board members stressed that it is a work in progress.

"We are accepting it as a framework with the internal components that can be adjusted in a number of different ways," board member Win Oppel said. A final spending plan won't be decided upon until after both the city and the state finalize their contributions next spring, he said.