WEATHERSFIELD — A revised Weathersfield school budget of $9.8 million will be presented to voters at an informational meeting on Tuesday.
The vote on the revised budget will take place on April 14. Then, voters will be asked to return to the polls again next month to vote on revised municipal budgets.
Weathersfield voters rejected both school and municipal budgets during all-day balloting on Town Meeting Day last month.
To reduce the school budget from the $9.95 million voters defeated, 440 to 268, on Town Meeting Day, the School Board cut $146,500, or 1.5%.
The board was constrained in what it could do to reduce costs because many of the larger costs including transportation, food service and special education, are handled through the Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union, which also includes Hartland, Windsor and West Windsor. Special education costs are up almost 29% for Weathersfield.
“There is not much room to shave from the budget,” Weathersfield School Board Chairwoman Sara Steele said.
Cuts included one teaching position, which eliminated $109,000 from the budget when salary and benefits are included, Steele said.
Other cuts included some nursing services and updates to the school’s mandated AED equipment (Automated External Defibrillator used to treat sudden cardiac arrest) because the district received grants to cover those expenses, Steele said. The board eliminated $15,000 from athletics.
The budget, up 10% from this year, now has a per pupil spending increase of just below 10% as opposed to about 13% in the first proposal.
The tax rate impact has been reduced from 21 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 15 cents, the board’s budget proposal states.
Tuesday’s school budget informational meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The school budget vote is Tuesday, April 14 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Martin Memorial Hall.
On Town Meeting Day, March 3, voters defeated the general fund budget of $2.05 million, 450 to 257. Meanwhile, the $1.31 million highway budget lost 362 to 346.
The Selectboard is scheduled to approve revised general fund and highway budgets on Wednesday, April 8.
The second vote on the municipal budgets is scheduled for May 5, with an informational meeting on Saturday, May 2.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
