The Board of Education will be asked to consider handing over its responsibility for the maintenance of the interiors of its schools to the town's public works department.

Public works director and town engineer Jack Healy has developed a proposal and will present it to the school board Monday at 7 p.m. at the intermediate school.

Healy and First Selectman Leo Paul Jr. believe the plan would yield substantial savings through improved coordination of maintenance efforts, elimination of duplication, and a more efficient use of equipment and vehicles.

The school board's current maintenance budget is $750,000, which includes wages and benefits for custodians.

If the school board agrees to surrender maintenance, the cost would be absorbed by the Board of Selectmen budget. Paul's goal is to have the transition occur by July 1, the start of the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Healy's plan, which has been endorsed by the Board of Finance, projects savings of $25,000 to $50,000 in the first year.

Public works has been maintaining school exterior and grounds for about seven years. Interior maintenance is currently overseen by facilities manager Tony Crowe, who reports to the central administrative office.

Crowe would report to Healy if public works assumes control of interior maintenance.

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