School Budget 2009-2010 Budget Primer

The School district budget will be up for discussion again this week ( Thursday January 8 @ 4pm , SAU offices). This is a public meeting, so if you can, please attend. The budget documents indicate that the School District is proposing an increase in spending of approximately 3%, or $402,045. We would like to see a movement to be budget neutral and find ways to reduce unnecessary expenses as other School Districts have been willing to do especially in light of decreasing enrollment.

 The bulk of the increase is Salary and Benefits some of which is due to the collective bargaining agreement for 2009-2010. This amounts to $278,136 and includes:

·        An increase of 17.23% or $76,458 for NHRS (New Hampshire Retirement System). This is due to the employer/District rate increasing from 8.74% (2008-2009) to 9.09%.

·        An increase of 5.08% or $63,829 for health insurance. This is the result of an increase of 8.6% for the BCBS Plan and 3.7% for the Dental Plan.

·        The average salary increase for each teacher is approximately 5%.

·        Non-teaching staff not under the collective bargaining agreement will receive the same 5% increase. (This is not in line with what we have seen in surrounding school districts or in line with the current economic downturn).

Other areas that show significant increases include:

• Special education budget increase of 58.04% or $37,847 for Professional Services. It is unclear as to what additional professional services are being offered.
• Increased cost for fuel oil and electricity of approx. $45,000.

Questions? Feel free to email the School Board/ABC as follows:

MCA