Meeting Mania Part 1: Amity Budget Hearing, April 11

Before a crowd of about 20 that included school officials, teachers and a handful of residents, Amity Schools Superintendent John Brady presented the 2011-2012 preliminary budget to the community last evening.  

In what Brady called a challenging year, he was satisfied with a spending plan that carries a 1.56 percent increase. The major increases are found in medical insurance, which will be up 15.5 percent or $492.034 in spite of a renegotiation; contractual salaries, which will be up 2.03 percent or $770.000; an increase of $178,968 in mandated special education costs and a $74,710 increase in fuel for heat and transportation. Three-quarters of the budget is spent on salaries and benefits. 

One resident from the Amity area, Laurence Czajkowski from Orange, spoke at last night's hearing. He told Brady and the school board that he was opposed to any increase in the budget.

"I live on Main Street, not Wall Street and I'm tired of tax increases," he said. Instead of giving pay raises to teachers and staff, he advised, "Everyone employed should be grateful they have a job."

Additions to the budget include a biology lab teacher, a building maintainer (to come in January), expanding the Naviance network to include seventh grade, enhancing the schools' Web sites, restoration of CABE dues and replacement of art tables and choral risers at AMSO. The budget carries no pay increase for Amity administrators.

Orange First Selectman James Zeoli also addressed the board, requesting that funding for the resource officer, a police officer who works at the , be added back into the schools' budget.

"A few years back, in tough economic times, we had a debacle and were faced with eliminating a teacher or the resource officer. The three towns picked up the cost of the resource officer, but now maybe it's time for the Amity Board to put the resource officer back in your budget," Zeoli says. The $80,000 cost was to be split by the three towns based on enrollment. Orange paid $39,000 of the $80,000.

The Amity Board of Education takes the public comments into consideration as they review the budget one last time before it goes up for public referendum on May 4.

Board of Education Chairman William Blake of Bethany urges residents of the three towns to get out and vote.