03/02/2012

School Board to review details of $21.7 million budget proposal during March workshops

The School Board will pore over the details of a $21.7 million proposed school budget for 2012-2013 in workshop sessions this month.

Details of the proposed budget, available on the School Department's budget website, will be discussed at workshops March 6 and March 20, with further discussion and school budget adoption set for March 27. All meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. in the High School library.

Superintendent Meredith Nadeau presented her budget proposal to the board at a workshop Feb. 28, 2012. [download presentation]

The 2013 spending plan is up $611,127 - 2.9 percent - over this year's school budget of $21.1 million. However, a $235,810 net decrease in revenue, driven by a $272,286 projected loss in state subsidy, will mean a proposed tax-rate increase of 50 cents (46 percent) for school services.

The largest budget increase proposed is in salaries and benefits, as teachers enter the second year of a three-year contract. Nearly two-thirds of the budget increase, $400,344, is slated for salaries and benefits, an increase to the line of 2.4 percent.

The largest percentage increase proposed is for instructional support, budgeted for 2013 at $354,764, up 49.6 percent over this year. Slightly more than $100,000 of the $117,664 increase for instructional support is for out-of-district placements.

Middle School athletics will also see a large percentage increase in the school budget as responsibility for the program moves from Community Services back to the School Department. The $173,723 budgeted for Middle School athletics is an increase of $33,004, or 23.5 percent. The move will also mean an increase in activity-fee revenue of $19,000.

Also moving from Community Services is responsibility for transportation. The community pool, currently under the auspices of the municipal government, will be the responsibility of Community Services in fiscal 2013.

The capital improvement and contracted services budget is up $38,000 as the schools also realize a $34,000 decrease in debt service.

Budget goals, educational goals

Nadeau began her budget presentation by outlining three budget goals, primarily, to meet the needs of students. "That's the bottom line, that's what we're here to do. That's education in a nutshell," Nadeau said at the workshop. A second goal is to advance the School Department's stated priorities; and the third is to be sensitive to the current financial climate. "Obviously we know it's a difficult time for people, and we have done our best I think to reflect that in our budget goals," she said.

The lion's share of budget items, including staffing, will be discussed on March 6.

School Board Finance Committee Chairman Michael Moore asked board members to submit questions before the next workshops so staff will have time to prepare the answers. He asked the same of the public. "If you do have questions, the earlier we get them the better we can prepare to respond, so please send those to us," he said. "Our goal is to address the questions, communicate to the public the priorities of the district - the reasoning behind the budget changes - and have the School Board vote on the budget at the March 27 meeting," Moore said.

School Budget Workshop Schedule: all meetings at 7 p.m., High School Library [directions]

Tuesday, March 6

• Staffing and benefits
  
• Pond Cove, Middle School, High School
  
• Instructional Support
  

Tuesday, March 20

• Capital Improvement Plan, Facilities and Maintenance
  
• Transportation
  
• Staff and Student Support
  
• Technology
  
• Athletics
  
• Community Services/Pool
  

Tuesday, March 27

• Any unfinished items
  
• School Budget Adoption
  

Thursday, March 29

• Additional meeting if needed.