The plan, at $36,490,829, would maintain the current level of services.
West Springfield School Superintendent Russell D. Johnston outlined various fiscal 2012 budget scenarios during a public hearing Tuesday.WEST SPRINGFIELD - School Superintendent Russell D. Johnston Tuesday outlined different scenarios for the proposed fiscal year 2012 School Department budget, including a spending plan that amounts to a 4.62 percent increase over the current fiscal year’s budget.
The plan, at $36,490,829, would maintain the current level of services. During the same School Committee public hearing Tuesday, Johnston outlined plans at level funding of $34,878,679 as well as with a 5 percent reduction and with a 10 percent reduction, all at the request of the mayor.
“It is certainly not definitive,” Johnston said of the four plans. “This will be evolving all through the spring.”
The latter two budgets come to $33,134,745 and $31,390,811.
Only eight people attended the hearing. Neither they nor members of the School Committee had any questions for the school superintendent. The department will hold its second public hearing on the budget April 5 as is required by city ordinance.
Shortly after that, Johnston said the city should have a cleared idea of the direction in which it must go as more will be known about state and federal aid.
“The guiding feature we have is classroom teachers’ relationships with kids. We look everywhere else we can (cut) first,” the school superintendent said.
A level-funded budget would require $1,612,150 in cuts to compensate for increases like those in wages and utilities, according to Johnston.
He said that scenario would require the following personnel cuts in full-time equivalents: 2.5 administrators, 2.2 clerical workers, 3.25 custodians, 11 teachers aides and 12 program teachers in areas like reading recovery and academic coaching.
Under the scenario of a 5 percent reduction, he said the department would have to add on the following cuts in full-time equivalent positions: two each in the categories of administrators, clerical workers, custodians, and 7.5 teachers aides, 1.5 pupil personnel staffers, 12 program teachers and about 15 classroom teachers.
Under the scenario with a 10 percent reduction, Johnston said the department would have to add on the following reductions in full-time equivalent employees: two addition people in the categories of administrators, clerical workers, custodians, maintenance and grounds workers, and nurses and up to 40 teachers and or teachers aides.
The last scenario would “truly change to life as we know it,” Johnston said.
In addition, he pointed out that none of the scenarios take into account the cost of funding the unemployment compensation triggered by layoffs, something he put at $330,000 for a level-funded budget.