FARMINGTON – Voters overwhelmingly approved a $33.6 million budget at a budget meeting attended by more than 500 people Wednesday evening, setting up a fourth validation referendum vote in all 10 towns on Oct. 24.
The vote was held in the gymnasium, rather than the Mt. Blue Campus’ auditorium. Twenty minutes after the meeting was due to begin, school officials began opening up additional sections of the bleachers to accommodate a line of would-be voters that stretched out of the gym and down the hallway. A total of 521 voters were tallied prior to the first vote, Question 1: Regular Instruction, which passed as recommended by an overwhelming majority.
The turnout exceeded even the previous budget meeting, which had 300 voters in attendance. That meeting resulted in approximately $980,000 in reductions to the school board’s recommended budget. The ensuing $32.6 million budget was defeated at the Sept. 12 validation vote by nearly 1,300 votes.
At Wednesday’s meeting, voters approved the board’s proposed $33,637,093 budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year. If validated on Oct. 24, the budget would represent a 2.71 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. It would result in more than a 2 percent decrease in local property tax assessments as compared to the previous fiscal year, or $267,444 less.
School board Chair Jennifer Zweig-Hebert and Special Education Director Christine Gatto-Shea gave brief presentations prior to the meeting. Zweig-Hebert said that the budget accommodated a 3.6 percent increase in student enrollment but still included a 2.06 percent decrease in the local property tax assessments as compared to the previous fiscal year. Property tax assessments for the school district across the 10 towns have declined $540,000 since 2015. The budget did include compromises, she said, detailing needs that were not met by the budget, including additional social worker positions and teaching positions.
“This budget is tight. But it should be tight. There should not be waste,” Zweig-Hebert said.
Gatto-Shea said that the district had 389 students receiving special education services, ranging from speech and language assistance to out-of-district placements. The district paid less than the state average per student, she said, citing several districts with higher, per-student costs.
The meeting started at approximately 7:30 p.m., with a line of voters stretching down the hall waiting to enter the building and check in with their town’s ballot clerks. The meeting itself proceeded relatively quickly, with a few speakers questioning certain increases and decreases in the budget, or expressing support for specific programs. Questions included the availability of Foster Technology Center courses for students, the private/public funding of athletic programs, the feasibility of vans versus buses and the status of the district’s dual diploma program with a Beijing school.
Glenn Kapiloff, the current Adult Ed director and former Foster Tech director, said that the district tried to make slots available to students. Superintendent Thomas Ward said that the district had purchased a small bus for routes with sparser stops, while Director Angela LeClair of Wilton detailed how the sports boosters program interacted with the school. The dual diploma program, which would share the district’s curriculum, standards and graduation requirements with Beijing No. 2 school in Beijing, China for its International program students, had been approved in China, Ward said.
Elaine Graham of Farmington said that administrator salaries were too high in the district. “If you care so much about the student, why do we need over $100,000 salaries for the top people?” she said. “If you truly care about people you wouldn’t take such a big slice of the pie.”
Other residents expressed support for the district administrators. Siiri Stinson of Wilton said that she was grateful for the staff’s work on a budget process that has lasted several months. She singled out the business manager, Kris Pottle, as someone whose expertise Stinson said was sometimes taken for granted. After Stinson finished speaking, residents had a standing ovation for Pottle.
Starks Selectman Paul Frederic said that one of his proudest moments had been helping orchestrate the change of school districts from MSAD 59 to RSU 9. “It has been a very successful transfer as far as the town of Starks is concerned,” Frederic said, noting that his town typically supported the district’s budgets by a wide margin. “I hope the citizens of the other nine towns can appreciate how great this district is.”
Following several near-unanimous votes, residents successfully moved to take up the remaining six cost center articles in a block. Voters then moved swiftly through the funding articles, completing the voting portion of the meeting in a little over an hour.
Just before the final written ballot, Jonathan Cohen of Farmington said that he agreed with Graham that the system of school funding was unfair to residents on fixed incomes. It was important that voters not only attend the Oct. 24 validation vote, Cohen said, but also lobby their legislators to increase district funding at the state level.
The $33.6 million budget now proceeds to a validation referendum vote on Oct. 24 in all 10 towns. A ‘yes’ vote approves the budget, while a ‘no’ vote effectively restarts the process.
For all of you who think a good education is vital to maintain our local community, think again. The students that do well in school and go on to get a higher education are going to leave the state where serious money can be made. Those who decide to stay in the area are doing so to be near families. Therefore, we are left with those making less money to bare the burden of this overpaid school system.
To the fool.
Agreed! Just like with the NEW homestead property tax exemption, the state raises it 5000$ to 20,000$ and the towns raise property valuations ! At least my town did. Crooks all of em.
We all know there are ways to save a little money in the school budget.
A perfect example is when you hire a new administrator.
Instead of hiring a new administrator for 10,000 less than we have paid a veteran administrator, this school district offered the new employee a $5,000 dollar increase.
This is but one example of thinking outside the box.
Thank you
Scott, as you know teachers’ salaries and the way the salary of the teacher is arrived at has been subject of debate for years. It is given that teachers deserve more pay. BUT THAT IS ONLY SOME OF THEM. Thanks to the teachers’ union, all teachers are looked upon as equal, thus they all get the same pay, raise, benefit etc. Some of them shouldn’t be in the classroom.Administration has three years to evaluate and in that time should know whether the employee is a “teacher” or not.Unfortunately, some slip through. AND those give the rest a bad name……….. sometimes. You can’t put a figure on the salary that the teacher should be paid who makes profound influences on a student who later on , because of that teacher becomes successful in his or her chosen field. “He/she sits behind the desk all period…” “He plays tapes or films in most classes, never teaches us…” “Figure it out for yourself…” all comments from Mt. Blue H.S.kids. However, “I and a lot of my classmates want Mr.H. next tear for math because he STANDS up in class and teaches… and he helps if we get stuck on something…” MERIT PAY??? Higher test scores???
With this remark, above, from professor Erb, you see a supporter of the agenda of the far left. he wrote “Unfortunately the current people in power support policies that put most of the economic growth in the hands of the already wealthy….” Public school systems in America are, in fact, socialist !
Please, vote NO at the validation referendum on the 24th.
Bill, you’re trotting out weak political rhetoric. Socialism? Gee, I guess our military is socialist too, by your account. So is the police force and fire department. Sheesh. Socialism is NOT government providing basic services, it is government owning businesses and planning the economy, something very few people want because it failed so miserably in the 20th Century.
I stated a fact I can prove – that relative wealth has shifted towards the very wealthy and away from the middle class. That isn’t “far left,” it’s a FACT. The shift started around 1980 and corresponded with the massive growth in private and governmental debt that began in earnest around 1982. But really, if you’re trotting out accusations of “socialism” and “far left” it shows you’re caught up in a kind of political rhetoric game that has nothing to do with the school budget. It shows that you can’t win the arguments talking about the budget so you turn to silly inflammatory rhetoric of “left and socialism” to hide your lack of argument.
I urge people to attend board meetings during the year, especially when budget deliberations start in January. Learn about what is really happening. I think most people realize that the board has asked for less money from property tax payers the last two years, has made cuts, and avoided new costly programs – something we get criticized for by people who think the board spends too little. We’re in this together, it’s not left vs. right or anything like that, it’s a pragmatic discussion of how to spend and where to spend. I’m glad the community has become more fully engaged in this, I think that will make the schools and the community stronger.
There are those who feast on anger. Be ye one who is moved by love.