By Scott Brinton
Caramore said that school officials have reduced the $102 million budget by $387,000. The savings were realized through the elimination of a maintenance truck and a small bus from the budget. In addition, he said, the district decided to offer only class sets of calculators for high-school students. Previously, the district had given each student a calculator, which had to be returned at the end of the school year. Caramore said that many students weren't returning the calculators, and the district was spending much time, effort and money getting them back.
The superintendent also said that officials eliminated administrative and custodial supplies. The district will now analyze its staffing needs for next year to determine whether further savings can be realized, but Caramore made no promises.
The Board of Education will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, March 30, at the Brookside School to present the final budget. At that time, Caramore said, school officials will outline which student services would be cut if the budget were voted down and the district were forced to operate under a contingency spending plan.
