Redding debates school security, health insurance in budget hearing

REDDING — The three budgets voters will be asked to consider in May were met with mixed reviews at a public hearing Thursday night.

Whether to have school resource officers was the biggest item of contention for the town and Region 9 budgets, but attention also focused in the Redding schools budget on adding a mental health counselor and restoring a dwindling health insurance fund.

The proposed town budget for 2018-19 is $14.8 million, which is 0.29 percent more than the current year’s figure. The Redding schools proposal is about $21.6 million, which is $900,000, or 4.34 percent more than the current year. Voters will be asked to consider the two budgets as one line item in the referendum.

The proposed Region 9 budget is $24.5 million, which is 3.02 larger than the current year. Of that, Redding’s share is $818,000, or 6.43 percent more than this year. Easton’s share is $99,800, or 0.9 percent less, owing to its decreasing share of enrollment.

All three budgets include increased staff salaries, and the two school budgets also include increases for special education and transportation.

Redding does not expect to receive any state aid during the coming fiscal year.

“It’s a loss of $360,000 in state funding, so I believe it’s best to be independent of the state when we budget,” First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton said.

A place the town could save money is switching the SRO at the middle school, now an active member of the Redding Police Department, to a school security officer (SSO), who would be a retired police officer. Both SROs and SSOs are armed, but the SSO is much less expensive, Pemberton said.

The change would also allow the SRO to return to the department ranks, cutting down on the overtime needed.

“There will be no compromise in school security,” Pemberton said.

Redding Elementary School switched from an SRO to an SSO a few years ago and she said the move was working well.

Some school board members questioned the wisdom of a switch at the middle school, saying they had been unaware it was being considered. Pemberton said if the school board prefers to have an SRO, it should consider paying the difference in cost.

The new SRO for Joel Barlow High School is part of the Region 9 budget, with the cost shared by Easton and Redding.

Some members of the finance members questioned the need for an SRO, asking what that position would do that the three security guards and a teacher already are doing.

The bulk of the discussion on the Redding Board of Education budget focused on the district’s efforts to restore its dwindling health reserve, which is expected to fall to zero this school year. The fund had $127,000 last year, prompting the district to put $400,000 of unspent money into the fund. As of last month, the fund contained about $143,000.

Board Chairwoman Melinda Irwin explained that claims from the reserve have exceeded the budgeted amount by $63,000 each month for several years. The district switched from a PPO to a high-deductible plan, which takes effect next year and generally translates to fewer claims, to lessen the drain on the fund. The district will also add any surplus money from this year to the fund.

Finance member Robert Dean criticized the board for depleting the fund, but school board member Chris Parkin said it was unavoidable, given that the finance board has continually cut school funding.

Finance chairwoman Kimberly Yonkers, who is a psychiatrist, also questioned the need for a mental health counselor because studies show such counselors are more useful in inner-city schools or districts where tragedies such as a mass shooting have taken place.

“I’m not sure our school falls into that category,” she said.