Bradford
The 204-94 ballot vote sets in place a $45,000 budget decrease for the 2017-18 school year, which officials said is due to a declining enrollment. Administrators are expecting 307 students to enroll in the high school nest year, 38 fewer than two years ago.
The district found savings in the budget by cutting the equivalent of 3½ teaching and staff positions, including the dean of students position, which was replaced by a behavior coach who works in the guidance department.
The district budgeted cuts in administrative costs and is promoting new classes designed to teach new skills while benefiting the school. One of those programs saw students learning web design and using their skills to maintain the school’s website.
The budget also includes an additional $123,000 devoted to a schoolwide building repair project that will bring Oxbow into compliance with safety standards after a review last year found several deficiencies.
The school district estimates the budget will decrease taxes by one cent per $100 of a property’s assessed value. That amounts to a $20.50 cut in taxes on a property valued at $250,000.
Residents also voted 234-6 to appropriate $2.1 million for the River Bend Career and Technical Center. State grants and tuition are used to fund that budget, not local taxes.
School Board elections are scheduled for May.