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
watched the video seems as if they are trying to get it right at least there is a good and productive discussion going on unlike the previous board. before it sounded like things were decided before the meeting even started