Published on April 16, 2020

The School Board on April 14, 2020 unanimously adopted a $28.5 million budget proposal for fiscal 2020-21, up 5.95 percent over this year's. Board members are scheduled to meet again at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, April 21, to consider use of undesignated funds that would lower the projected tax impact. [Agenda with link to join meeting]

Town Council will review the school budget in a workshop beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, April 27. That meeting will also be held via Zoom videoconference, with instructions for joining the meeting to be posted on the meeting agenda. [Meetings Calendar].

The adopted school budget was developed over six workshops, where board members fine-tuned projected revenues and expenditures to reach the 5.95-percent budget increase. Each workshop was guided by the board's goals for the 2020-2021 budget and the 2020-2025 strategic plan. "I think this is a budget that is sensitive to the taxpayers, which I appreciate, and holds up to support our students as well," said School Board Vice-Chair Kimberly Carr.

The very nature of the April 14 vote – conducted electronically by roll call – conveyed the caution with which the budget was adopted. After the state declared an emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March, budget development that started with workshops in the High School library concluded in a series of videoconferences. Classrooms were closed, sporting and other events canceled and school grounds marked off limits. Cafeterias became staging grounds for delivered meals, and all students became home-schoolers as the School Department instituted remote learning for the remainder of the school year.

Board member Hope Straw identified March 13 as a turning point, and asked if there was enough flexibility in the budget proposal to continue to respond, if needed, to the changes imposed by the pandemic. "How agile can we be? Is there room for changing things as needed?" she said. And, in the worst case, "Where do we find that 'pocket change in the couch cushions' to help with those issues?"

Marcia Weeks, the School Department business manager, offered advice she and other business managers have been receiving from state education officials: "They said to be very conservative going in to our process – cautious and conservative," she said.

No curtailment of state funding has been mentioned as of yet, said Superintendent Donna Wolfrom, but she said the School Department is being watchful and careful. "I think that's how we have to be going in to this," said Wolfrom, remembering curtailments of years past. "I think if we start really being careful at this point and thinking about the future, thinking that (curtailment) is coming, we'll be OK," she said.

Prior to voting in support of the budget, Finance Chair Elizabeth Scifres outlined ways the plan meets the goals of the strategic plan and of the budget. Strategies for one of those goals, "Clear and continual communication throughout the budget process," changed after the coronavirus emergency order but were still effective, said Scifres. "I think that the challenges around not being able to meet at the library or in town hall have been met and met well," she said, also thanking Superintendent Wolfrom for her regular published updates. "I've seen various people pop in and pop out on Zoom, and while it's not a perfect platform I believe that we are still offering that opportunity for communication and participation," Scifres said.

"So as I hold our budget up to these goals, I wholeheartedly support it and thank everybody for their work on it," Scifres said.

Details on the budget proposal, including links to workshop videos and an archive of written updates, are posted on the school website.