2019-2020 Budget Document

SHERMAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET 2019-2020 Dr. Jeff Melendez Superintendent-Principal

Mrs. Kasey Diotte Chair, Board of Education

SHERMAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

Strategic Plan We enable all Sherman Students to become the best possible version of themselves.

We provide an environment where our children develop into empathetic, self-directed, critical thinkers who don’t give up when faced with challenges.

ELEMENT:

Instructional Core The instructional core is central to everything we do. Our entire district is designed to support the meaningful interaction between teacher, student, and content to develop critical thinkers who don’t give up when faced with challenges.

Goal #1 We will create and maintain curriculum that is responsive, relevant, and rigorous Goal #2 We will develop and implement a sustainable model of differentiation at all levels

ELEMENT:

Student Enrichment

Parent Engagement

Enrichment allows students to become the best possible version of themselves by discovering and pursuing their strengths and interests both within and outside the classroom.

Goal #5 We will provide academic and non-academic enrichment opportunities Goal #6 We will broaden the extracurricular programming that is offered beyond the classroom

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Culture

Connection and collaboration between home and school are critical to achieving the district’s vision.

Our shared beliefs, values, and expectations drive the behaviors that will allow us to realize our vision and achieve our goals.

Goal #7 We will create an infrastructure that invites families to be involved in school life

Goal #10 We will embrace innovative ideas and solutions

Goal #8 We will provide learning opportunities for families to support their children in school Goal #9 We will build effective partnerships and lasting relationships with families upon their enrollment in our district RMAN

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Goal #11 We will build relationships based on mutual trust among all members of our community Goal #12 We will individually and collectively contribute to a positive climate Goal #13 We will engage members of the Sherman community to contribute to our school district and its future

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Goal #3 We will foster interactions between staff and students that promote engagement, nurture curiosity, and make learning fun

Parent Engagement

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Goal #4 We will develop a growth mindset among staff, and students

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The Sherman School 2 Route 37 East, Sherman, CT 06784

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| P 860.355.3793 | F 860.355.9023 | W shermanschool.com

SHERMAN BOARD OF EDUCATION 2019-2020 BUDGET EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Our Vision We enable all Sherman Students to become the best possible version of themselves. We provide an environment where our children develop into empathetic, self-directed, critical thinkers who don't give up when faced with challenges.

Our Strategic Plan The Board’s plan to operationalize our vision emphasizes four key areas: Instructional Core, Student Enrichment, Parent Engagement and Culture. As presented on the page to the left, a total of thirteen collaboratively developed goals and numerous action steps have been designed to guide our decisions and spending. Many of these goals translate directly into funding that we believe will enable us to bring our vision to life. Several examples are outlined below: Our Budget The Board’s proposed 2019-2020 budget reflects our vision and strategic plan while allocating resources in a way that is both transparent and responsible to the taxpayer. Enhancements include: • • • • • • • • •

The development of an Innovation Fund to allow faculty to design, propose and implement new initiatives within their classrooms or programs (Goal #10) The purchase of new Chromebooks and the reallocation of MacBooks to provide 1:1 access for all students in grades 4-5 (Goal #1) Funding to provide opportunities for student enrichment through after-school programming (Goal #6) The adoption of a social-emotional learning curriculum to communicate strategies for situational navigation, management of emotions, as well as coping and decision making skills (Goal #11) Expansion of the role of our school psychologist to provide added clinical support (Goal #12) The inclusion of a tutor position to provide academic support in grades 6-8 (Goal #2) Funding for a new middle school social studies resource to contemporize our program (Goal #1) An increase in professional development and curriculum writing to support the goals of our strategic plan initiatives (Goals #4 and #1) Staffing and resources to make preschool available for every Sherman child ages 3-4 (Goal #9)

In addition, our 2019-2020 budget continues to ensure: • • • • •

The security of all students and staff with a full-time Armed Safety Officer Chromebooks for all 6-8th grade students which they will keep as they transition to high school Job embedded professional development through membership in the Tri-State Consortium Continued investment in and development of our XP program and makerspace Full funding of the 4th grade trip to Washington, D.C.

The Board of Education respectfully requests an amount not to exceed $9,380,779 for the 2019-2020 school year, which represents a 0% increase from 2018-2019. The Board of Education continues to enhance programs, with no budgetary increase, for the third consecutive year.

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Summary of Student Enrollment Sherman, like many other towns throughout the state of Connecticut, is experiencing steady declines in public school enrollment. The following table depicts enrollment from 2017-2018, present enrollment, and projected enrollment figures for the Sherman School District in 2019-2020.

While one might assume that reductions in student enrollment may lead to commensurate savings, regretfully, this is not the case. Both the largest and smallest districts are required to follow the same state reporting and accountability expectations; and all districts, whether they receive thousands or millions in state and federal aid, must adhere to the same application procedures and timelines.

As can be seen in the table below, the anticipated low enrollment in kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year led to the elimination of one full-time teaching position. However, an increase in the anticipated overall number of students entering our preschool program necessitated the addition of a full-time teacher to fill this role. Enrollment fluctuations like these, and the Board’s commitment to maintaining small classes, are major factors in the overall budget.

Although the Sherman School is only designed to serve students from preschool through 8th grade in our building, we still consider high school students who live in Sherman to be members of our district. We follow their progress, advocate for their success, and celebrate their accomplishments. However, one significant challenge we face from a budgetary standpoint is accurately predicting the total number of students who will attend public high school on a tuition basis. As we discuss in more detail in the next section, overestimating the number of Sherman students in grades 9-12 for the 2019-2020 school year may result in a budget surplus.

Similarly, 2018-2019 2019-2020 GRADES 2017-2018 2019-2020 underestimating how ACTUALS AVG. CLASS SIZE PS-8 many HS students may Preschool 13 14 28 14 move to Sherman, Kindergarten 14 29 9 9 transition from a private school placement, or Grade 1 25 17 29 14.5 discontinue Grade 2 30 25 17 17 homeschooled 12 Grade 3 35 28 25 12.5 instruction may result in a budget shortfall.

Grade 4 25 35 28 14 Grade 5

37

28

35

17.5

Grade 6

41

30

28

14

Grade 7

33

42

30

15

Grade 8

40

33

42

21

Grade 9

26

36

34

-

Grade 10

33

27

36

-

Grade 11

45

35

27

-

Grade 12

44

45

35

-

TOTAL

441

424

403

16

For the 2019-2020 school year, our high school enrollment projections and budget is based upon the 132 students whom we expect will attend high school in the fall. We believe that this is most appropriate way to budget as it is based on current enrollment data.

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Summary of Budget Expenditures The overwhelming majority of school district budgetary expenditures fall within the category of wages and benefits. In Sherman, almost 48% of the budget is allocated to staffing for our general education population, whereas $1,188,527 is allocated for wages and benefits to serve our students with identified needs. Once combined, our overall salary and benefits lines constitute $5,721,476, or 61%, of the overall budget. This does not include EXPENSE TYPE AMOUNT the $1,684,705 we spend on high school tuition or grants that are 4,532,949 received to offset expenses.

Staffing Special Education

1,894,627

High School Tuition

1,684,705

Maintenance & Operations

463,355

Other

273,537

High School Transportation

212,170

K-8 Transportation

184,680

Curriculum & Supplies

181,240

Media & Technology

119,595

Grants

(166,078)

TOTAL

$9,380,779

Because we do not offer high school programming, our students in grades 9-12 may attend high schools in surrounding towns where we have negotiated or state contracts. The table below illustrates our 2019-2020 tuition rates and the number of students attending each school. Note that tuition to the Region 12 Agriscience program, Nonnewaug, and Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, CT are lower because HIGH SCHOOL TUITION # these programs are state-subsidized. The Sherman School 14,153 District is responsible for all transportation needs and special 20 New Fairfield High School education costs associated with these various programs.

The overwhelming majority of expenditures in our budget are either contractual or required for maintaining our building and grounds. In fact, only 6% of the overall budget is at the discretion of the Board to utilize for the purchase of curricula, equipment, supplies, etc. The Board and administration work hard to ensure that these funds are appropriated responsibly to help us operationalize our district’s vision.

New Milford High School

83

13,219

Region 12, Shepaug

22

13,219

Region 12, Agriscience

1

6,823

Nonnewaug

1

6,823

Henry Abbott Tech

5

0

TOTAL

$1,684,705

Because the Sherman School District is ranked #15 out of 169 districts according to wealth (Adjusted Equalized Net Grand List per Capita), we receive minimal state and federal aid. For the 2019-2020 school year, we anticipate grants totaling $166,078 which are used to offset expenses.

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Summary of Contractual Increases The Sherman School District maintains collective bargaining agreements with the Sherman Education Association (SEA) who represent our teachers, the Local 1303-319 of Council #4 AFSCME, AFL-CIO who represent our paraprofessionals, tutors, nurse and some clerical employees, local high schools, and All Star Transportation who provide busses for our students. These contracts are negotiated every three years.

The Board also employs four administrators, a Director of Finance and Operations, a Director of Technology, a Facility Supervisor/Technician, several related service providers, and other clerical employees who are not affiliated with a union. These contracts are negotiated in May with specific funds allocated in budget line #186 to cover salary increases. An asterisk depicts those still in negotiations. Please note that negative percent changes represented in the table below implies less spending, not salary decreases. When combined, all contracted costs comprise $6,771,476 or 72% of the total budget.

The chart below depicts the historical trends regarding staffing. Although one might assume that staffing levels will mirror student enrollment, this is not always feasible for a variety of reasons. First, the majority of our non-certified personnel are assigned to individual and/or groups of students with identified needs, and therefore staffing for these positions does not automatically or necessarily decrease as enrollment declines.

Second, it is not always possible to eliminate teaching staff when enrollment declines from a wide variety of grade levels. For example, economies can not always be found because of the Board’s commitment to maintaining small class sizes, particularly in the primary grades. Although we may lose several students in a given year, if they are not in the same grade, we cannot eliminate a classroom teaching position.

2018-2019 AFTER TRANSFERS

2019-2020 PROPOSED

$ DIFF

Teacher Salaries

2,980,922

3,070,838

89,916

High School Tuition

1,826,992

1,684,705

-142,287

Administrative Salaries*

604,192

604,192

-

Non-Certified Salaries*

518,208

506,521

-11,687

Transportation

426,579

492,974

66,395

Non-Affiliated Salaries*

428,964

412,246

-16,718

$6,785,857

$6,771,476

-$14,381

CONTRACTUAL INCREASES

TOTAL

The table on the next page shows a summary of our entire 2019-2020 budget by category. The difference in cost and percent increase is calculated between the 18-19 budget after transfers which we believe most accurately represents our spending for the year.

We believe that the Board’s request for $9,380,779 supports our community’s vision and strategic plan, provides significant programmatic enhancements, absorbs contractual inflations, and does so at a 0% increase to taxpayers.

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SHERMAN BOARD OF EDUCATION 2019-2020 BUDGET AT A GLANCE APPROVED 18-19 Budget

18-19 BUDGET AFTER TRANSFERS

PROPOSED 19-20 BUDGET

$ DIFF

% CHANGE

25,695

90,950

63,696

-27,254

-29.97%

42,400

36,900

63,900

27,000

73.17%

1,003,280

1,038,601

995,879

-42,722

-4.11%

96,322

82,925

86,570

3,645

4.40%

143,286

139,518

145,670

6,152

4.41%

96,123

96,123

98,103

1,980

2.06%

40 SCIENCE

151,167

117,876

106,548

-11,328

-9.61%

44 MATH

167,044

167,227

170,418

3,191

1.91%

48 SOCIAL STUDIES

83,634

83,634

85,275

1,641

1.96%

52 LANGUAGE ARTS

230,684

231,133

237,852

6,719

2.91%

27,896

27,896

27,782

-115

-0.41%

508,277

507,874

499,209

-8,665

-1.71%

1,375,923

1,386,980

1,517,627

130,647

9.42%

3,561

3,632

3,632

0

0.00%

51,729

56,064

49,380

-6,684

-11.92%

130 IMPROVEMENT OF INSTRUCTION

208,600

214,298

247,448

33,150

15.47%

156 EDUCATIONAL MEDIA

352,643

304,918

314,383

9,465

3.10%

50,650

50,650

55,825

5,175

10.22%

172 OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT

113,687

118,340

118,340

0

0.00%

182 OFFICE OF PRINCIPAL

320,758

330,247

326,674

-3,573

-1.08%

1,198,522

1,159,942

1,162,147

2,205

0.19%

214 OPERATION & MAINTENANCE

551,104

554,029

538,955

-15,074

-2.72%

218 PUPIL TRANSPORATION

181,824

185,052

199,040

13,988

7.56%

61,771

61,771

73,830

12,059

19.52%

110,000

110,000

77,300

-32,700

-29.73%

$7,156,580

$7,156,580

$7,265,483

$108,903

1.52%

2,042,947

2,042,947

1,987,441

-55,506

-2.72%

241,527

241,527

293,934

52,407

21.70%

$2,284,474

$2,284,474

$2,281,375

-$3,099

-0.14%

$9,441,054

$9,441,054

$9,546,857

$105,804

1.12%

-60,000

-60,000

-166,078

-106,078

176.80%

$9,381,054

$9,381,054

$9,380,779

-$274

0.00%

SHERMAN SCHOOL PK-8

7 SAFETY & SECURITY 16 GENERAL 22 PRIMARY 27 ART 31 MUSIC 35 PHYSICAL EDUCATION

56 HEALTH EDUCATION 71 OTHER REGULAR PROGRAMS 107 EXCEPTIONAL/SPECIAL EDUCATION 108 ADULT EDUCATION 116 MEDICAL SERVICES

167 BOARD OF EDUCATION

198 FISCAL SERVICES

229 STUDENT ACTIVITIES 234 OUT OF DISTRICT PLACEMENT TOTAL SHERMAN SCHOOL PK-8 HIGH SCHOOL 249 HIGH SCHOOL EXPENDITURES 257 HIGH SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION TOTAL HIGH SCHOOL TOTAL PK-12 ANTICIPATED GRANT MONEY TOTAL BUDGET REQUEST

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HAVE BUDGET QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? 


Contact Dr. Jeff Melendez, Superintendent-Principal melendezj@shermanschool.com (860) 355-3793

Visit www.ShermanSchool.com > Board of Education > Budget > 2019-2020 to view a full PowerPoint presentation and line-by-line budget details

BE A VOTER Saturday, May 4, 2019 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM ESF Charter Hall Sherman, CT