Schools

School Board Adopts Budget For 2014-15 School Year

The Manchester Board of Education has approved a $107,404,542 budget for the 2014-15 school year.

When the Manchester Board of Education met Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, they unanimously approved a $107,404,542 budget for the 2014-15 school year. 

“This is one of the lowest budgets that the board of education has been able to put together in recent years,” Board of Education Chairman Chris Pattacini said, praising Kisiel and school administration for their “commendable” work in assembling the budget. 

Administrative staff were able to reduce the budget Kisiel initially proposed on Jan. 15, 2014, by an additional $1,738 thanks to a slight reduction in assistant coaches salaries at Manchester High School. 

The Board of Directors, which has the final say on the town's budget, must also approve Kisiel's budget before it is adopted. The directors can reduce the total dollar amount of the school budget itself, but cannot specify what programs to cut. 

Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Of note in the 2014-15 school budget: 

  • Salaries, benefits, special education and building operation costs make up about 93 percent of the overall budget. 
  • The budget calls for 4.38 new certified teachers, as well as three assistant coaches on the varsity level at Manchester High School, three paraprofessionals and a district-wide painter to help re-paint schools and classrooms. 
  • New equipment and capital improvements make up the largest percentage of the overall budget increase, at 53.58 percent or $389,718.

In other news Monday, Kisiel said that it was the last day to receive applications for the position of principal at Manchester High School, which will become vacant once current Principal Matthew Geary moves to the superintendent position at the end of the year. He said the district received 17 applications for the position. 

Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We are very satisfied that we can draw from a competitive applicant pool," Kisiel said. 


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