Thursday, March 29, 2018
www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 6
Parents, students voice safety concerns Finance More than 20 parents, students and community members voiced concerns on school safety and offered suggestions to town officials during a public forum at Berlin High School Monday night, March 19.
board approves budget
The biggest topic was related to school resource officers.
By Ashley Kus The Citizen
“We’re doing the best we can,” said Berlin Police Chief John Klett.
The Board of Finance approved the town and school budgets Tuesday, March 20.
By Ashley Kus The Citizen
Currently two officers are positioned at the middle school and high school with none at the elementary schools. Previously a resource officer at the middle school had been put on patrol due to recent retirements and absences in the police force. The resource officer is now in the school parttime. See Safety, A7
A school safety and security forum was held at Berlin High School March 19. Ashley Kus, The Citizen
Historic meeting house to be renovated By Ashley Kus The Citizen
The Worthington Meeting House will return to its original appearance under new restoration plans recently discussed with the Town Council. The estimated cost of the renovation is $2.2 million. “It’s great to see it’s going back to what it originally was,” said Mayor Mark Kaczynski. Built in 1774, the town-owned meeting house has been a landmark on Worthington Ridge serving as a meeting place, library and a school until the building closed to the public in the 1970s.
Worthington Meeting House at 723 Worthington Ridge in Berlin. Courtesy of Berlin Historical Society
The Berlin Historical Society and Friends of the Worthington Meeting House group have been working with a grant-funded architect, QA&M ArSee House, A11
The finance board approved a $43.9 million school budget, a nearly $1 million reduction from the initial proposal. The decision was previously tabled to give Brian Benigni, superintendent of Berlin schools, and the school board more time to reduce the budget. Benigni said he was able to find nearly $1 million in employee health insurance savings, which brought the budget from a 4.3 percent increase over last year to 1.99 percent. “I appreciate all the hard work that’s gone into it,” said Gerry Paradis, finance board member. He said he was originally looking to cut up to $125,000 more. Matthew Tencza, president of the school board, warned the finance board of further cuts that could impact staffing and classes. “I think the superintendent put together a responsible budget,” he said. “We did the right thing and will continue to do the right thing.” Tencza added the school budget decreased overall by close to $2.8 million from earlier proposals. See Budget, A12