Clarification: The reported 6 percent increase to teachers’ salaries will be phased in over two years. Teachers will receive a 3.3 percent raise this year.
At the annual meeting to set the Jefferson Village School budget on March 19, Jefferson residents debated increases to teachers’ salaries at length before approving the budget as proposed.
Nearly 100 residents gathered in the JVS cafeteria to vote on the budget, which totals $5,228,755, an increase of $553,706 (11.8 percent) over last year’s budget. This apparent increase is misleading, however, because it includes debt service on the new school building, which is paid by the state.
The local taxes contribution to the budget is down $28,857 (.9 percent), for a total local contribution of $3,196,713.
The first budget article, which covers expenses for regular instruction, received a heated debate. The regular instruction budget is up $116,176 (5.5 percent) for a total regular instruction budget of $2,226,321.
The increase covers a 6 percent increase to teachers’ salaries over the next two years, phased in beginning with a 3.3 percent raise this year, a predicted 8 percent increase to health insurance premiums, and the addition of a new kindergarten teacher.
The salary and benefit changes are covered in the teachers’ contracts, which are negotiated separately from the budget approval.
Some residents said this process unfairly removes their ability to vote on a budget.
At the outset of the debate on the regular instruction budget, Jefferson Budget Committee member Wayne Parlin proposed reducing this area of the budget by $116,000.
Parlin, and residents who argued in favor of his amendment, said many professionals have not received raises in several years, and the increase to taxes is a significant burden for many residents.
Several residents said they opposed Parlin’s amendment because they felt it demonstrated a lack of support for teachers and would take away from the quality of their children’s education.
The new kindergarten teacher is being added because the kindergarten class is expected to reach more than 22 students next fall. This is too large a class for one teacher, school officials said.
Residents questioned whether a second teacher was necessary. Some suggested that an ed tech, which is significantly cheaper than a teacher, could be added instead.
School officials said ed techs are not qualified to identify students with special needs. Along with the difficultly of managing a class of 22 to 25 kindergarteners, by splitting the kids into two classes, children with special needs are more likely to be identified early, which improves their success later in life dramatically, officials said.
Speaking to those who opposed the new kindergarten teacher, resident Shawn St. Cyr, a high school teacher, said, “I challenge anyone here to take 25 kindergarten-aged kids, sit them down, and teach them anything.”
Parlin’s amendment failed with 32 residents in favor and 54 opposed. The regular instruction budget then passed as originally proposed, as did all other articles with almost no discussion.
The only other discussion centered on the transportation budget. The total transportation budget is $362,336. This is down $34,407 (8.7 percent) from last year’s budget.
The debate centered on the cost of transportation for high school students attending Lincoln Academy and Erskine Academy.
Jefferson pays Erskine $12,048 to pick up Jefferson students. Lincoln Academy does not provide transportation, so Jefferson owns a bus and transports students at total cost of $38,931 in this year’s budget.
In the past, parents of Erskine students paid for their children’s transportation. Lincoln Academy does not provide transportation to any of its students.
When students started attending Lincoln Academy, Jefferson was required to bus those students. Because the Jefferson bus didn’t cost those parents anything, the cost of Erskine transportation was also added to the budget.
Parlin proposed an amendment to reduce the transportation budget by $51,000, the approximate cost of busing high school students.
Parlin argued that parents of Erskine students should pay for their children’s transportation as they have in the past. If Lincoln Academy refuses to provide transportation to students in Jefferson, Jefferson students will not be able to attend Lincoln Academy unless their parents can provide transportation.
The amendment failed and the transportation budget passed as originally proposed.
The JVS budget will now go before voters for a validation vote at the town’s Annual Town Meeting polls on March 27. Voters will be presented the total budget for a simple yes or no vote. The budget must pass the validation vote before it can be enacted.
