The recently approved Hampton Board of Education Budget for 2021-2022 has an increase of $13, 912 or 0.66%. The underlying assumption for this budget is that the costs associated with the pandemic will continue, especially in the cleaning and sanitizing of the building each evening and that our students — especially in Pre-K and Kindergarten — will be returning to in-person learning.
The Board of Education also reviewed the use of three buses to transport our students to both Parish Hill and Hampton Elementary School. We must budget for the full costs of student transportation regardless of where the students attend school. The board fully discussed the reduction of one bus. According to EastConn Transportation, that reduction of one bus will force the school’s opening and closing times to be moved about one half hour later and place some of our Pre-K to grade 6 students on a one and a half hour hour bus ride, arriving home in the dark during the winter months. The board also discussed the current operational practice of picking up each student at their homes at the end of their driveways since we have no sidewalks in Hampton. Although there are some exceptions where a child needs to be picked up at the end of their road, they must be accompanied by an adult for both pick-up and drop-off.
The board has approved a 2% increase in the salaries of all staff not subject to the teachers’ negotiated contracted, such as paraprofessionals, school secretary, custodian, and the administrative team not including the superintendent. In addition, the State has mandated that the minimum wage for all workers must be at or above the $1 per hour increase each year until the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour. The current minimum wage in this budget is $13 per hour. In addition, health insurance costs have risen by 4%. Our costs for heating oil, diesel fuel, and propane have risen in price and in the number of gallons used especially in heating oil; however, we are very concerned that back in December/January, when the budget was first developed, I did not take into account the huge increase in the use of oil. The fact is that we must keep our ventilation system operational 24/7 and therefore the oil usage has increased. This budget does not take into account this major change. This concern was discussed by board member Mark Becker during the board’s Special Budget meeting in March.
Our staffing has been reduced to the current teaching staff of one teacher in Pre-K, one teacher in Kindergarten, and one teacher for two grades that are organized as Teams. Team A has grades one and two with one teacher as do Teams B and C. We have reduced — over time — four positions into one. Our former positions: Reading/Scientific Research Based Intervention teacher, media specialist, distance learning teacher, and library coordinator are now being implemented by one certified teacher with experience in four areas of responsibilities.
In the board’s past budgets, monies have been placed into the Capital and Non-recurring account. These funds have been very effectively used to repave the back play area and the Finance and Operations Sub-Committee of the board is involved in the possible repaving of the front parking lot. None of these improvements are in this budget. We have a current in-school student population of 71 students. The students are slowly returning to in-person learning from distance learning. We anticipate that we will have 85 students attending in-person next year with two out placed students and three students attending STEM Magnet Schools for a total estimated student population of 90 students in the Pre-K to Grade 6 district who are included in this budget. Finally, if there is any parent who is thinking about having their child return to Hampton Elementary School, or registering for the first time for the 2021-22 academic year, please contact our school secretary Lisa at (860) 455-9409 and press “0”. She will be able to answer your questions and mail out the appropriate forms. We will continue to follow all appropriate Covid protocols during this upcoming school year. Our goal this year has been: “Every student, every day for 183 days” and we have been successful thus far.
Dr. Frank Olah, Superintendent