Local school budgets on the rise
By Matt Sutkoski and Dan McLean
Free Press Staff Report
Burlington, Colchester and Winooski school officials this week worked to put finishing touches on school budget proposals, and the numbers reveal residents of the three communities face tax increases.
Winooski adopted its budget proposal Monday, while Burlington and Colchester put the finishing touches on their proposals Tuesday. All three communities must settle on the final wording of ballots in anticipation of the budget votes in March.
Budget increases in the three communities would range from 5 percent to 11 percent, though the actual impact on residents' tax bills are a bit murky as state education spending, grand list numbers and other critical figures are not set in stone.
Burlington up 9.1 percent
The Burlington School Board unanimously approved a $41,574,566 budget for the 2007-08 school year Tuesday night -- $3.46 million, or 9.1 percent, more than the current budget.
The proposed budget will increase taxes by an estimated .0686 cents per $100 of assessed value, or a $137 increase on a $200,000 home, school district Business Manager Scott Lisle said.
The board added $468,500 to the budget Tuesday evening at Burlington High School. The board had given preliminary approval Dec. 12 to a $41,106,066 budget, which would have increased school spending by nearly $3 million, or 7.85 percent.
The additions made to the budget Tuesday include $328,000 for 3.8 teachers of English as a second language, and $112,500 for after-school programs and a full-time librarian.
The district had more money in the budget, Superintendent Jeanne Collins said, because the cost of health insurance rose less than expected. The district also expects 70 more "equalized pupils" than it anticipated, giving the school more funding. The increase is a result of more students of English as a second language, she said.
Shannon Walters, a librarian at C.P. Smith Elementary School, said the additional funding for library staff "protects a wise investment."
The budget for the 2006-07 school year is $38,113,325.
Colchester up 5 percent
The Colchester School Board on Tuesday evening tentatively adopted a $26,775,529 proposed school budget, which is a little more than 5 percent above the current school district spending plan.
There's about $1.3 million in new money in the budget, earmarked for a variety of expenses scattered throughout the spending plan.
The School Board will also likely ask voters to approve $84,000 for repairs to schools, which would include replacing outdated electric systems in at least one school and work on septic systems.
Voters will likely be confronted with a ballot question seeking authorization to institute all-day kindergarten classes. Kindergarten is half day. The proposal would cost an estimated $320,000.
The School Board expects to meet next week to finalize the wording on the ballot items.
School Board member Sue Carp said she hasn't seen much public reaction to the proposed budget, though public meetings have been held. "I feel like something's not connected," she said.
Board member Renn Niquette said that fits a pattern. Often, school officials receive subdued reactions to budget proposals, but voters speak loud and clear at ballot boxes. The school budget was narrowly approved last year, and in some previous years, it took two or three votes before residents settled on school budgets.
Winooski up 11 percent
Winooski's proposed school budget is 11 percent higher than the current spending plan, but school officials said if voters approve the budget, Winooski will have among the lowest per-pupil costs in Chittenden County.
Moreover, the budget proposal has one-time expenses that are crucial to the school, Superintendent Bruce Chattman said. The expenses include an additional teacher in the English language learners program to accommodate an increase in immigrant students, he said. The school's antiquated phone system is at capacity; there's no voice mail; and emergency crews responding to 911 calls to the school risk being misdirected, Chattman said. Security needs to be bolstered, he said.
The bottom line is voters in March face a school budget proposal of $11,950,881. The Winooski School Board adopted the proposal at its meeting Monday evening.
Chattman said he estimates the budget would increase the tax rate by 34 cents, or $680 for the owner of a $200,000 home. State education funding laws would mean the impact on many low- and moderate-income property owners could be less than that.
Had the Winooski School Board not changed a thing and run the school system the same as it is being run this year, the budget would have increased by about 5 percent due to higher costs of insurance, salaries, fuel and other expenses, Chattman said.
Contact Matt Sutkoski at 660-1846 or msutkosk@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.
Contact Dan McLean at 651-4877 or dmclean@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
