Somers Teachers Wait on Fate of Jobs

Until the budget passes, some Somers teachers will have to see if their contracts will be renewed next year. In all, there are 27 teachers on the non-renewal list, spanning all schools in the district.

Superintendent of Schools Maynard Suffredini said that since it is uncertain at this time what the final budget for next year will be, all non-tenured staff have been notified about non-reappointment. He explained that this is a budget action so that if the budget is cut, staff cuts can be made accordingly.

“Clearly if the budget is passed, all of these people will be recalled,” he said at the meeting on Monday.

Board Chairman David Palmer said, “We have some excellent staff here, so we hope to see them all back next year.”

The overall proposed town budget is for $29,241,201, which is a $986,679 – or 3.49 percent – increase.

The education portion of the budget is $19,827,174. This is a $492,857 – 2.55 percent – increase.

The next step in the budget process is the annual town meeting on May 8.