Town of Rocky Hill

Board of Education

Finance Committee

October 12, 2007

Minutes of Meeting

A special meeting of the Finance Committee of the Rocky Hill Board of Education was held on Friday, October 12, 2007, in the superintendent's conference room. Present were: Committee Chair Anne Schmidt; Committee Members Peter Arico and Rene Rivard; Board Chair, Neil Geldof; Board Secretary Nadine Bell; Board Member Catherine Vargas, Interim Supt. of Schools Carol Parmelee-Blancato; and Director of Finance & Operations Gregory P. Turansky. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m.

2007-08 Budget

Mr. Turansky reported that enrollment needs over the summer required the addition of a .5 FTE kindergarten teacher and a .4 FTE speech/language clinician at Stevens School. These positions were over and above what had been budgeted, but savings from new hires were expected to cover the cost. Concern was expressed about the unusually high number of maternity leaves that will be coming and the related impact on the teacher substitute account. This situation will be monitored throughout the year. Special education tuition appears to be within budget although several enrollment changes have occurred. Finally, Mr. Turansky reported that we currently have 26 Open Choice students attending school in Rocky Hill versus 35 that we had anticipated. This will have a negative impact on revenue of approximately $18,000 that is needed for our magnet school tuition payments.

Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato reported that some buses have been arriving late to Stevens School both in the morning and afternoon. The bus company is adjusting routes to try and compensate, but that will mostly help only in the afternoon. In order to help in the morning, an attempt is being made to unload buses earlier at West Hill School. If the experiment proves successful, the Board will be asked to permanently change the starting time of West Hill School by five (5) minutes to provide relief. In any event, the 2008-09 budget will include a request for an additional school bus.

2008-09 Budget Preparation

A general discussion was held regarding preparation of the 2008-09 budget. Mr. Turansky reported that the first round of discussions with principals will conclude today, that additional discussions are forthcoming, and that the budget calendar is being adhered to.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Gregory P. Turansky

Recording Secretary

APPROVED BY: _____________________________ DATE: ________________________