School Board Split on Use of Unanticipated State Aid

The newly approved position of Part-time Targeted Intervention Mathematics Teacher will be funded with something other than the unanticipated State Aid received by the district.

Board of Education members voted Monday night to approve the position, which is required by the state to target the skills of students who fail below a certain math level. When it came to the recommendation that the position be funded through the $1,033,332 in unanticipated State Aid, however, the board failed to garner the six votes required to approve the measure.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jorden Schiff explained that the administration had looked at several financing options for the position, including the Education Jobs fund, which would have only funded the position for one year.

It also was recommended that the unanticipated State Aid be used to fund four classroom positions and the addition of six World Language teachers to “re-constitute the World Language program at the elementary level,” Schiff said. Rather than beginning the program in January, the superintendent said it had been recommended that the state monies be used to fund the program starting in 2012-2013.

Board member Jennifer Haley expressed concern that “we’re using funds the committee hasn’t had a chance to talk about.”

Fellow board member  Marc Rosenberg asked if there is a deadline for compliance and a consequence to waiting to use the funds to begin the program. Schiff noted that he was not certain.

“At the time when the state decided to remove five percent from everybody’s budget, that’s when we went out of compliance,” Steve Paget, board president, said. “Now we’re able to bring these positions back. It (the Targeted Mathematics post) is a position we didn’t realized was mandated by the state. I think it makes perfect sense.”

Thomas Kinst indicated he would prefer to have the positions funded “through the budget we have right now” and that he would rather leave the unanticipated State Aid for next year and “go through the proper vetting process” to have what he described as a “much more thoughtful” World Language program.

“This unanticipated State Aid and the unanticipated position seem to be in alignment,” said Christopher Pulsifer.

The board voted 4-4 on using the unanticipated State Aid, with Haley, Kinst, Judith Haas and Gregory Gilette voting against the measure and Paget, Pulsifer, Rosenberg and Thuy Anh Le supporting the motion.

Since the motion did not pass, Schiff said the Part-time Targeted Intervention Mathematics Teacher would be funded through board surplus.