Newport
The budget, approved on a 49-35 ballot vote during the school deliberative session at the middle high school gymnasium, now will go to voters with the rest of the warrant articles at the annual school vote on March 13.
Voters also approved articles for teachers and support staff contracts and changed another article by increasing the recommended withdrawal from the transportation reserve fund to $101,000 from $15,000 for the purchase of a van and a new school bus.
In making his amendment to the budget, Spaulding said the School Board proposal was simply too expensive for taxpayers with a projected tax rate impact of $3.89 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and “clearly would not pass.”
“It is absolutely ludicrous. I’m asking that we reduce the budget to something we can afford,” Spaulding said.
He also suggested the prospects for approval of the teachers and support staff contracts would be enhanced with a lower budget.
Others also were supportive of the teacher pay raise but expressed frustration over annual tax increases and wanted to see the budget reduced.
“We simply cannot afford every year to fund these increases,” resident Seth Wilner said. “It is part of a sad reality.”
Todd Fratzel, a Selectboard member, suggested that the increase in the tax rate ($5.21) estimated for all appropriations proposed by the School Board would only lead to more foreclosures and tax-deeded properties in town.
“The reality is more people are on fixed incomes and have no way to support these increases,” Fratzel said. “You have to build a budget with the constraints of what is reasonable and figure out what the community can afford.”
Most of the increase in the School Board’s proposal, which was about $930,000 above this years’s, was for special education costs. There also is one new elementary school teacher, a technology position and two new special education teachers in the board’s budget.
Resident Dan Cherry asked residents to keep in mind that the increase is not all spending, with non-tax revenues down about $500,000.
The $18 million budget is about $25,000 less than the default budget, which carries a projected tax rate increase of $2.58 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
The teachers contract has a value of $140,000 and for support staff it is about $92,300.
Board member Ann Spencer explained an appropriation of $233,000 for programming, renovations and staff costs for autism services under another article. Spencer said the money would allow two elementary school students, now receiving those services, to continue receiving them at the middle high school next year. There also is funding for autism services at the high school in the budget.
“We are required by law to take care of all the needs of children,” Spencer said.
Other approved articles include $50,000 each for the school district’s transportation capital reserve fund and the unanticipated educational services expendable trust fund.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
