Claremont — Wednesday’s deliberative session at Stevens High School saw a quick adoption of the school district warrant including a $35.3 million budget with only a few comments and none of the angry exchanges that characterized last year’s session.
Voters will now have the final say on the warrant at the annual school district vote on March 12.
The proposed budget, which includes an operating figure of $31.8 million, or 1.6 percent more than this year’s, drew no comments either for or against from the roughly 50 people in attendance, which included many school district employees and school and city officials.
As the roughly one-hour meeting concluded, School Board Chairman Frank Sprague made a plea to voters to support the budget and not opt for the lower default budget.
Sprague said the board’s proposal was the product of diligent effort by the three-member budget subcommittee to carefully go over all spending with administrators in the district.
“We are really asking voters to trust our process,” Sprague said. “We have worked collaboratively with department chairs, directors, everyone and really hammered out the details. I am really afraid if we decrease the budget further. I really hope people don’t succumb to the temptation to save a few cents on their tax bill (and vote for the default budget).”
The proposed budget would add 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to the school tax rate and the default budget of $35.11 would add 21 cents.
Board member Jason Benware, a member of the budget committee, presented the budget and highlighted the areas of increases and decreases.
Benware said the district is facing fixed cost increases of $813,000, mostly for previously approved collective bargaining agreements, as well as loss in state revenue of $101,000.
The board’s goal was to keep any budget increase to no more than 50 percent of the combined fixed cost increases and revenue losses, which the board did with a proposed spending increase of $333,600.
The budget and other warrant articles — including roof repairs at Bluff Elementary, a new fire panel at Disnard Elementary, a two-way radio emergency communication system and cameras on all school buses — carry a projected tax rate increase of 79 cents. The loss revenue adds another 11 cents for a total of 90 cents per $1,000 if all articles pass.
Benware said the budget recommends the loss of about 12 full-time positions but attrition and reassignment would likely avoid any layoffs.
The budget’s major increase is for a special education alternative program at the elementary level that would allow the district to provide for the needs of special education students without sending them out of district, which costs on average $90,000 per student, Benware said.
The program would have two classrooms, up to 12 students and nine staff members.
“I think this is an investment in education,” Benware said.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
