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Date: 4/19/2021
WESTHAMPTON – The Westhampton Elementary School Committee met on April 13 to discuss the proposed budget for fiscal year 2022 (FY22).
The budget request for Annual Town Meeting is $1.9 million – a 6.76 percent increase compared to last year’s request.
Brigid O’Riordan, chair, facilitated the meeting, and Bobbie Jones, business administrator, provided an overview of the budget with committee members and public attendees.
Jones said the central office budget includes the addition of an administrative assistant, which will be shared between the superintendent and the central office.
This will intentionally free up some of the staff, allowing for assistance in the business department, she explained. The addition of the central office insurance benefits and travel benefits is also included in this section.
Overall, this page has an increase of $17,786, of which $12,717 are those additional benefits that the school added, explained Jones.
Addressing the instructional piece of the budget, Jones said there was a total increase of $84,387, explaining, “This is all contractual, for the most part. There are decreases in the paraprofessionals which is just shifts in people.”
She went on to say, “We shifted one paraprofessional into the library aide, and one of the paraprofessionals into the nurses because she is a CNA.”
The health salaries for the nurse had an increase of $10,574, which was the shift in the paraprofessional. There was also a slight increase to transportation regular, and food service salary, explained Jones. In total, the “other” school costs came out to be $13,549.
Additional costs include maintenance, with increases in custodial salary, along with the telephone and internet increase, based on new broadband connectivity. Total maintenance cost increase is $6,252.
Other sections include special revenue, such as Circuit Breaker, with an expected use of $18,000 next year, Jones predicted.
Jones said there are no increases in the special education tuition.
The Special Education 240 Grant will provide $27,208. Jones explained, “That goes to other things to support legal fees, evaluations – a number of things that are related to special education.”
The Read Grant would supply $27,208, which is also used toward salary and a little bit toward supplies which is new this upcoming year, stated Jones.
School Choice was budgeted at $133,000 which is the same as last year.
Grants that were applied for in 2021 include the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) II Grant, which can be carried over until the end of 2022.
“Part of that is contingent on what the town wants to use for a minimum local contribution increase, and then they have to use $10,000 of that for the social emotional program,” shared Jones.
Jones said, they may be getting an ESSER III grant, which will be applied for in 2022.
As of now, vocational tuition is unknown because the state extended that deadline until May 1. Jones said they won’t receive the final roster until at least mid May, or even later, depending on students grades and course completion.
O’Riordan put forward a motion to support the budget that’s being put forward to Town Meeting.
The motion was supported unanimously.