Mascoma Valley Regional School District voters will elect two School Board members, three Budget Committee members and vote on a budget and other warrant articles on Tuesday, March 12. Polls open at 8 a.m. in Grafton at the town’s fire station, and at the same time in Canaan at its fire station. Polls will also open at 8 a.m. in Enfield at Whitney Hall. Polls open in Orange and Dorchester at 11 a.m. in the Dorchester Town Hall and Orange Town House. All polls close at 7 p.m.
WEST CANAAN — Mascoma Valley voters will decide whether to approve a slight budget increase when they go the polls on March 12.
The School Board is proposing a $27.7 million budget for the 2019-2020 school year, which amounts to a $460,900, or 1.7 percent, increase over the current spending plan.
If the budget is defeated, a default budget of $27.8 million will take effect.
Officials say the proposed increase is largely caused by special education costs, which are slated to go up $282,861, or 4.5 percent, next year.
The district had 274 students in October receiving special education services, with 15 of those students requiring care outside of Mascoma’s schools.
There’s little the district can do about the costs, though. Federal regulations require school districts to either provide special education programs or cover for students who would use them.
The district predicts it will collect slightly more in taxes next year. Officials estimate Mascoma will require $18.5 million in property taxes to support the budget, a nearly $561,000 increase. It’s not clear how that will affect each of Mascoma’s five towns — Canaan, Dorchester, Enfield, Grafton and Orange. That’s because taxes to the school district are calculated using a three-year enrollment average.
Voters will also be asked to approve a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the district’s support staff. If passed, the agreement would increase spending by $66,428 next year, $69,262 in 2021 and $55,119 in 2022.
Other warrant articles request a $100,000 appropriation into a facilities capital reserve fund and $75,000 for a special education fund. Money for both articles would come from surplus funds, not taxes.
There are no contested races in the district.
School Board member Danielle Thompson is running unopposed for another three-year term representing Enfield, while Hope Stragnell is the sole candidate for a seat representing Canaan.
Wallace “Wally” Andrew is running for re-election to a three-year term representing Canaan on the district’s Budget Committee, while Andrew Cushing hopes to fill a one-year term representing Grafton. Enfield resident Lisa Gaskin is also mounting a write-in campaign for a three-year term representing her town on the budget committee.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.