CLAREMONT — No changes were made to the proposed $38.2 million school budget at Wednesday night’s deliberative session attended by about 60 people at the Stevens High School auditorium.
The budget and rest of the warrant will now go to voters at the annual school district vote on March 10.
The budget includes an operating portion of $34.7 million which represents an increase of $2.9 million or 9.14%. About half of that is for one-time capital improvements next year that will be paid for with additional state aid. Other increases include the first year of a three-year teachers contract of $404,000, and $479,000 at the middle school that will cover the cost of four new teachers.
Additional state revenue of about $3.8 million means the amount to be raised by taxes is down $1.2 million.
Resident Cynthia Howard, a frequent critic of school spending, again said the budget was too much for taxpayers.
“To me this is a big spending plan,” Howard said, referring to the capital improvement expenditure of $1.5 million. “I believe a lot of this could be cut down.”
As an example, Howard said the nearly $400,000 for renovations to the Dow building, where the administrative offices are, could be decreased to about $100,000.
Howard said the debt to renovate Stevens High School is still being paid and until that is paid off, the district should not be increasing spending. “Nine percent is a lot of money,” Howard said.
Many of the comments focused on the planned improvements for the $1.5 million capital expenditures. New roofs, upgraded heating systems, interior and exterior work on school buildings and kitchen equipment were among the items listed on a slide by the school district.
John Napsey, who was on the board more than a dozen years ago, said many of the building needs were the same when he served.
“We need to fix the systems,” Napsey said.
The School Board and administration said using one-time money to make needed repairs and upgrades means not having to come back to taxpayers in the next several years with warrant articles asking for money for those improvements.
The default budget of $32 million would not include the $1.5 million for capital improvements and instead the money would be used to offset the tax rate. Richard Seaman, the school district’s business and finance director, said the drop in taxes would only be for one year and taxes would go right back up again the following year.
“That is not the direction we should be going,” Seaman said.
Most of those in attendance supported the budget but even those who were opposed did not make any proposed cuts.
Resident Amanda Barton said the new teachers’ contract, which would raise the starting salary to more than $40,000 after the third year is a good reason to approve the budget in March.
“If we do not pass the budget we are not supporting our teachers,” Barton said. “We need to get salaries competitive so they will stay here.”
The warrant includes two articles to establish reserve funds for bus repair and replacement and building repair and renovation and puts $500,000 in each. The money would come from the additional state aid and not be raised by taxes. The administration is also using $400,000 of that money to offset taxes the next two years.
Also on the warrant are contracts for secretaries, which will actually cost less the first year because of changes agreed to in health insurance portion of the contract, paraprofessionals and maintenance and transportation employees.
If the budget and all warrant article pass, the school tax rate is estimated to drop 56 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. On the other end, if everything fails and the default budget is implemented the tax rate would decrease $5.68.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
