Voting on the Claremont School District warrant is from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14. Ward I and Ward II will vote at Claremont Middle School; Ward 3 will vote at Disnard Elementary School.
Claremont
SAU 6 Business Manager Mike O’Neill said at the recent deliberative session that a $128,000 reduction in state aid leads to a net increase of 13 cents per $1,000 of valuation in the tax rate, bringing the local education tax rate to $22.61. The effect is a $20 increase in taxes on a property assessed at $150,000.
The default budget of $34.8 million would add 28 cents to the tax rate, increasing taxes on a similarly assessed property by $42.
The budget includes an operating portion of $31.2 million that is $152,239, or about 0.5 percent, less than the current school year’s. Within the budget is $268,486 for a one-year contract for teachers that gives all eligible employees a $1,250 raise, a step increase and, for those with 18 years or more of experience in the district, a longevity payment of between $1,800 and $2,300. The school district also will pay 97 percent of health insurance premiums, up from 90 percent.
“The cost of the plan is a lot lower and they will have a deductible, which they didn’t have before,” School Board Chairman Brian Rapp said, explaining the increase in the school district’s share of the premiums.
The School Board cut roughly $900,000 from the initial budget proposal from Superintendent Middleton McGoodwin.
“We tried to listen to people’s concerns about the budget and tax rate,” Rapp said. “We put a lot of work to minimize the effect of those (state) cuts.”
There are no cuts to teaching positions, but the board was able to make reductions in other areas, including technology and maintenance, Rapp said.
“We did a lot of cutting in other areas and we were able to get a raise for our teachers,” he said.
Also on the ballot under separate warrant articles are a three-year contract for paraprofessionals with a first-year cost of $120,000; a three-year contract for maintenance personnel with a first-year cost of $48,000; and a three-year contract for secretaries costing $26,000 the first year. Security upgrades for district schools for $141,000 and roof repairs at the technical center for $100,000 are part of a 10-year plan to replace roofs throughout the district.
In School Board elections, incumbents Frank Sprague and Alex Herzog, who was appointed to fill the seat following the resignation of Rebecca Ferland in October, are seeking the two three-year seats on the ballot.
Sprague, 63, is a former principal at Stevens High, and the 48-year-old Herzog is the vice president for student and community affairs at River Valley Community College. Also on the ballot for the three-year terms are former School Board member Richard Seaman, 58, who is the finance director for the Windsor Central Supervisory Union in Woodstock; Dave Pacetti, 50, a computer numerically controlled programmer, and Mike Petrin, 40, the director of rehabilitation at Sullivan County Health Care.
There are two candidates for the 12 months left in the term formerly held by Brent Ferland, who announced earlier this year he would leave the board after the March 14 vote: Mike Cirre, a former Claremont School District teacher, and Rebecca Zullo.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
