School Committee approves $15.6 million school budget for fy2011

Up 3 percent from fy2010 budget

By Melissa Fales
Reporter

WARE – The School Committee unanimously approved the proposed fy2011 school budget at their April 28 meeting. The budget totals $14,521,689 exclusive of transportation and $15,642,250 including transportation. Residents will vote on the budget at the Annual Town Meeting on May 10.
Budget Subcommittee Chair Aaron Sawabi noted that when the budget was reviewed at the last School Committee meeting, the district was facing a $90,000 deficit. He explained that through reallocations in the House Ways and Means funding as well as Medicaid adjustments and stimulus money available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, that deficit has been eliminated. As a result, the district was able to offer a raise of up to 2.5 percent for individual contract employees.
Just over half of the budget, $7,959,812, is devoted to salaries. The combined budget for salaries and operating expenses at Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School is $2,111,880. Salaries and operating expenses at Ware Middle School total $1,932,609. At Ware High School, the combined salaries and operating expenses total is $3,112,663. The $1,120,561 in transportation costs breaks down to $498,061 for regular transportation and $622,500 for special education transportation.
Potential wrestling and swimming coops with Palmer and Pathfinder
Co-Athletic Directors Scott Slattery and Mike Bernier presented the School Committee with the possibility of participating in an athletic coop with Palmer High School and Pathfinder to allow Ware students to participate in wrestling and swimming.
Slattery said the wresting team at Pathfinder is in need of players and has had to forfeit matches in many weight classes due to the small size of their team. Likewise, Palmer High School is in need of swimmers. Bernier noted that many Ware students are already involved on a recreational level with the Palmer swim team. By forming an athletic coop between Pathfinder, Palmer High School and Ware High School, students from all three schools would be able to participate in both sports. Slattery said there would be no user fees for Ware students to participate in wrestling and that there is a $150 per person user fee for students who want to swim.
Slattery said it would only cost Ware approximately $20 a year in interscholastic dues to participate in each additional sport. The initial coop would be established for two years, with the ability to continue into the future. The only potential issue is that students would have to find transportation to Pathfinder or Palmer High School on their own and may need to be dismissed early from school occasionally in order to participate.
The School Committee approved the idea contingent on an opinion from school counsel on potential liability regarding the students traveling from school to school. Slattery explained that School Committee approval was the first step and that the coop will have to be approved at the district level by an athletic executive board before it can go into effect at the start of the next school year.

Recycling fundraiser and tag sale scheduled for May 22
The district’s annual “If it has a plug…” electronic and appliance recycling fundraiser will be held May 22 on the campus of the Ware Public Schools from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For a small fee, broken or unwanted appliances such as televisions, stoves, refrigerators, etc. can be recycled, with proceeds to benefit the Ware Public Schools Technology Department. Fees range from $2.00 for small items such as radios and toasters to $15.00 for larger items such as treadmills and washing machines. Senior citizens may call 967-4271 to arrange free pick-up of their large recycling items. There will also be a tag sale with items donated by faculty and staff held on campus during those hours. For more information about the fundraiser, visit http://www.warepublicschools.com.
May meeting schedule change
Due to scheduling conflicts, the School Committee will break from their regularly scheduled Wednesday meetings during May. Their next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 17.

School Committee votes to extend bus contract for one year

By Melissa Fales
Reporter

WARE – The School Committee has voted to extend its contract with First Student for school bus transportation in the 2010-2011 school year. At their March 31 meeting, the committee voted 4 to 1 to take the final year option on their existing contract which was signed in July 2006. Last year they signed a one-year contract extension with the bus company.
Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Beach had answers to questions committee members had raised about the bus contract during discussion at the March 17 meeting. One question was how the district would be reimbursed for days the extra daycare bus did not run. First Student canceled the daycare bus after determining it was not needed, but the district was still charged for several days. Beach said the district will be credited for those days on the next bill.
Committee member Brian P. Winslow had questioned whether the district was allowed to penalize First Student for 11 days this semester when the bus company doubled up a run. Beach said the contract allows the district to penalize the company $50 per run, but First Student had already credited the district $56 per run for those 11 days. Beach explained each bus runs four times per day (to and from school twice) and the $56 figure represents one fourth of the $225.41 per day the district pays for each bus.
Winslow wondered whether the bus company has always credited the district when doubling runs or if they waited for the district to notice. “How many other times did they do it and get away with it?” he asked. Beach said in her dealings with First Student she had always found them to be “forthcoming and direct.” She said, except for in an emergency, First Student now calls for her approval before doubling up on a bus route. Beach explained that First Student was hit with a number of bereavements and illness all at one time, which led to the need to double up. Beach noted that since the district pays for the fuel, there is actually some advantage to occasional doubling up.
Winslow said any personnel issues the bus company faces are not the district’s problem. “We’re paying for a service,” he said. “We should have that full service.” He asked whether someone from each school could count the buses each day to make sure there weren’t any unauthorized doubled-up runs. High School Principal Lucille Brindisi said there was an adult outside with the buses every day and Middle School Principal Robert Warren said he was usually out with the buses to manage the students. Committee member Aaron Sawabi suggested the bus company be told that the schools would have someone outside counting buses. He said if there are a fixed number of buses every day, it shouldn’t be too hard for an adult to ensure they are all there.
Andy Paquette of the Management Solution recommended the committee sign the one year extension and explore the option of teaming up with another school district for more purchasing power. “One contract for 2 communities is more bang for your buck,” he said. According to Paquette, the Granby School District is “very interested” in the possibility of teaming up with Ware in order to get a better transportation price. Because the two towns would need to enter into an intergovernmental agreement for the contract, Desjardins suggested the committee take the matter up with the Board of Selectmen for their input.
Paquette noted that Granby and Ware are both clients of The Management Solution, both share School Counsel Fred Dupere and are both contracted with First Student. Granby’s First Student contract will be up in 2011. Paquette said if it turns out that teaming up would not be beneficial to one of the parties, it won’t happen. Winslow asked Paquette if he was only recommending the contract extension because of the potential teaming up with Granby. Paquette said it was just one reason, adding that First Student had a good safety track record and that he respected the operations manager.
The committee voted 4 to 1 to sign the First Student contract extension, with Winslow voting against it. “I feel they’re being very unprofessional,” he said. In addition to the issue of the doubling-up on runs, Winslow said phone calls he placed to First Student that had gone unreturned.
Desjardins said he suspected some residents might wonder why the committee was reviewing the contract so closely or taking the time to make sure the district was credited the seemingly small sum of $50 for a bus run. “We have to look at this, this is our job,” Desjardins said. “This is the town’s money. We’re doing this because this is what we were elected to do.”