BOE Budget Hearing Tonight

Have an opinion about the proposed $80.3 million 2012-13 Board of Education budget?

Tonight is the night to voice it.

The Legislative Council will hold its public hearing on the proposed school budget tonight at 7 p.m. at the auditorium, 2623 Dixwell Ave.

Last week that the district will be able to get by on the allocation -- depsite it being a less than one percent increase -- because it also will have access to the $1.5 million it expects to be reimbursed by the state for excess special education costs.

The proposal includes new full-time Student Support Advisor positions at each elementary school which would be responsible for overseeing both lunch and recess periord, a time when school officials say is ripe for bullying and other behavorial problems. Both administrators and parents urged the Board of Education to include in the budget funding for the positions.

The creation of the jobs is expected to cost the district a net of $71,000 after taking into consideration the elimination of lunch aide positions that woud come with the new positions.