BETHEL — Voters in the White River Valley Unified School District approved a $12.1 million budget for schools in Royalton and Bethel in the 2020-21 school year.
The budget, which won approval by a show of colored paper cards after a brief debate, will eliminate one elementary teacher at both of the White River Valley School’s two campuses, in part to recover from an estimated $450,000 deficit.
The proposed budget would amount to $18,400 per equalized pupil, a 2.13% increase over the current school year.
The school budget as proposed would bring school taxes in Bethel to $1.58 per $100 of valuation, up about 3 cents from last year for an additional $75 on a $250,000 home.
In Royalton, it would be a a 6-cent increase, to $1.66 per $100 of valuation, or an additional $150 on a $250,000 home.
School Board Chairwoman Lisa Floyd, of Bethel,” said the board had “really worked hard to keep our spending in line” and to maintain quality schools that will attract tuition students, while also contending with increases to health insurance and a budgeted 3% raise for the district’s teachers. The number of tuition students increased from last year to the current year and the budget for next year projects another increase.
In the brief debate over the budget, Louise Ferris-Burt, of Bethel, expressed reservations: “Bethel was told that our costs were going to go down,” she said. “They keep going up and up and up. It seems to me that there’s something not quite right.”
Sixty voters turned out from Bethel’s checklist of 1,520, and 106 from Royalton’s of 2,365.
Voters on Tuesday will elect three School Board members by Australian bal lot. Incumbent Lisa McCrory is running unopposed for a three-year seat from Bethel. Robert Gray Jr. and Jessica Ryan are competing for one year remaining on a three-year seat in Royalton. No one filed to run for a three-year seat in Royalton that is currently held by Andrew Jones. Jones is now running as a write-in candidate. Polls in the two towns will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.