Milford school support staff contract will be on ballot

Thursday, January 26, 2012

MILFORD – A new one-year contract between the school support staff union and the School Board will be on the election ballot in March.

The contract, for 2012-2013, gives salaries and wage-driven benefits totaling $25,000 but also shows a cost reduction of $17,300 for health and dental insurance and a small increase in the retirement plan matching contribution.

The Milford Educational Support Staff Association (MESSA) contract has a net cost of $8,700. The association includes all regular full and part-time speech language associates, instructional assistants, English as a second language tutors and nurse, health and library associates.

The contract goes into effect after the current one expires in June.

The MESSA contract is the second article on a school district warrant that also includes the operating budget and an article that provides for a special meeting if voters reject the pact.

All three articles were presented at the school budget hearing on Jan. 17, and no one in the audience, composed mostly of Budget Committee members, commented on the contract.

The district’s operating budget, Article 1 on the warrant, totals $36.3 million and there is a default budget of $35.8 million.

The budget shows a small increase of slightly more than 1 percent, and Town and School District Moderator Peter Basiliere told school officials the voters should be informed that an important reason for the low budget increase is that the district is no longer burdened by high interest payments.

“Let voters know your interest payments have gone down substantially,” he said.

Interest on long-term debt will be $319, 481 less than the current budget.

In 2012 the district makes the last payment on the 1991 middle school addition project, and the retirement of this bond is the prime contributor of the $319,000 savings.

The budget also reflects the elimination of two full-time elementary school teachers as a result of enrollment changes and increases due to negotiated agreements with teachers, administrators

The public hearing is the first step in the public part of the budget approval process that will continue with the school Deliberative Session, when voters can discuss and amend the articles, and end with ballot voting on March 13.

The Deliberative Session will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

If the operating budget and the MESSA contract are approved, there will be a tax rate increase of 61 cents, or $1.22 on a home valued at $200,000. The budget hearing was preceded by a demonstration from the high school’s state champion We the People Constitution team.

Then the School Board voted to contribute $5,000 to help pay for the 33-member team’s trip to George Mason University in April where it will compete in the national championships.

Kathy Cleveland can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 304, or kcleveland@cabinet.com.