Ledyard Administrators Freeze Wages

January 7, 2010

Ledyard’s constrained public schools budget got a bit of breathing room recently, with additional relief possibly coming today.

Unionized administrators have voted unanimously to accept a wage freeze, Superintendent of Schools Michael Graner said Wednesday. Unionized teachers are to vote on a possible freeze today.

The vote of the administrators, including Graner, saves $74,456, he said. A wage freeze by teachers would save $724,007.

“These actions would go a long way toward addressing our problems,” Graner said, adding that he wants to craft a budget that doesn’t require a tax increase.

Wage concessions are key to Graner’s desire to revise school spending without laying off 13 employees. There is a special budget hearing at 7 p.m. at Ledyard High School.

In a Dec. 16 briefing, Graner and state Rep. Tom Reynolds, D-Ledyard, reviewed the schools’ plight, which includes a $500,000 shortfall in state special education funding and an expected $1 million increase i n expenses.

“The public hearing will be a good opportunity for community input,” Graner wrote in an e-mail. “I plan to recap the suggestions from the (December) public forum and then get feedback on those ideas.”

Mayor Fred Allyn Jr. continued his calls for cooperation between school leaders and parents.

“It’s important for people to understand what’s happening and make informed decisions,” he said.

Early retirement incentives would save another $100,000, Graner said last month. Administrators also are considering reorganizing the town’s three elementary schools. 

“The (administrators’) wage concessions go a long way in setting the tone for further efforts across the district,” school board Chairman Sharon Hightower wrote in an e-mail Wednesday. “It signals to the Ledyard community that we’re all in this together.”