Region 1 Budget Workshop February 19

Technology, teaching take hit in Region 1

BY RUTH EPSTEIN
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
FALLS VILLAGE — The Region 1 Board of Education on Wednesday reduced spending in next year’s budg­et proposal in the area of technology, eliminated two requested teaching positions and cut back on the replace­ment of carpeting in some ar­eas of Houstonic Valley Re­gional High School.
Interim Principal Ian Str­ever began the meeting by giving a presentation about technology needs. He said among the priorities is the upgrading of infrastructure in the 75-year-old building that has thick concrete walls. Implementation of a com­puter replacement plan is also being devised. Many are antiquated and not being used. Strever said they are looking to add devices that will be required for testing by the Common Core standards. The bring-your-own-device system will also be promoted, which is a way of reducing costs, he said. Strever said a replacement schedule has been devised which calls for purchasing 139 new devices next year, 42 the following year, 49 the third year and 160 the year after that.
Chairman Andrea L. Downs of Falls Village said she didn’t think there would ever come a time when shar­ing of computers wasn’t nec­essary. “I don’t see us having the luxury of all students hav­ing a computer all day.” The board took the sugges­tion made by Marilyn Yerks of Sharon to come up with a figure to put into the budget for technology. That number is $75,000, which is $67,000 less than originally pro­posed.

Region 1 Board of Edu­cation 2013-14 approved:
$ 14,440,572
2014-15 proposed:
$ 15,285,832 Increase: $845,260 or
5.85 percent Next: Board of Education meeting on March 3

See full story in The Republican-American

Please click link below for video of meeting