Burr Presents Preliminary Education Budget For 2013-14

The Shelton BOE held a special meeting last Wednesday, Dec. 5 to review Superintendent Freeman Burr's preliminary budget for fiscal year 2013-14. Burr's preliminary budget comes with a bottom line of $68,118,274. This is a 6.87 percent increase over the school system's current budget -- a new dollar amount of more than $4 million.

Burr's plan secures money for new technology, school supplies and maintenance repairs, including:

• Classroom furniture at Perry Hill School
• Replacing 80 teacher desks and 90 student desks & chairs at SHS
• Folding doors to the cafeteria/gym at Mohegan
• A health classroom folding door at SIS
• $175,000 in replacement computers
• $95,300 in new computers, software and web hosting

The Board also discussed the installation of new fire doors at the high school, which has been on the "to-do" list for several years.

"We are not up to code. It has to get started," Burr said.

Burr explained that due to contracts, the amount of money denoted for administrator salaries would fall $60,327, while teacher salaries would get an additional $1,293,992 in the 2013-14 fiscal year.

No votes were taken at the meeting last weekend. Member Win Oppel said, ideally, the Board should consider submitting a budget plan with a slightly smaller bottom line.

"Under six percent would be nice," he said.

Editor's note: This article was originally published with the BOE Chairman identified as Win Oppel. As of Nov. 28, 2012, Mark Holden became Chairman.