PLAINFIELD — After a handful of questions on Friday evening, residents approved a $6.9 million Plainfield School District budget which will increase spending by just $23,429 from the current school year.
The 120-38 vote was followed minutes later by a 128-24 tally in support of an article to spend $45,000 to replace more flooring in Plainfield Elementary School to deal with a moisture problem.
Because K-8 enrollment is expected to rise from 209 this year to 221 next year, school officials anticipate more adequacy aid from Concord. As a result, the school tax rate is expected to decrease by 4 cents per $1,000 of valuation, a $10 savings for a home assessed at $250,000.
Some discussion centered on the ideal class size, which school officials target at 15 students per classroom in grades K-4, 20 in grades 5-8. Former Town Moderator Steve Taylor noted that when the school was built in the early 1970s, it was designed to hold 360 students (30 per classroom), and joked that “our young parents didn’t come through,” a reference to the lower enrollment trends.
“I’m working on it,” School Board member Jenny Ramsey, who was holding her infant son Andrew, shot back to laughter.
The meeting adjourned after little more than an hour. More debate is expected at the municipal portion of Town Meeting, which will be held next Saturday at 10 a.m., also at the school.
The big issue on the warrant is a proposal to borrow almost $500,000 to build a new library in Meriden.
John Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com.