The Hardwick Town School Board would like to share information with the community about our budget. The budget presented at Town Meeting proposed a 3.1¢ tax increase. Due to required ballot language, it seems there may have been some confusion about this budget. Using the numbers we had from the State at the time, the budget had an increase in spending per equalized pupil of 14%, which was reflected on the ballot. The number of equalized pupils the school has determines how much money the school receives from the State, to aid in funding the budget. However, it does not determine the local tax rate or the actual change in the school’s overall spending.

Since Town Meeting, we have good news about our equalized pupil count. Due to an error in the State's calculations, our equalized pupil count is approximately 3 pupils higher than we were informed when we wrote the initial budget. This means that our revenue from the State is $35,000 higher, and our spending per equalized pupil is $16,691. This ultimately sets the tax rate at 1.6859, which is an increase of 1.8¢, when compared to last year.

The revote will be on April 11. We ask the voters of Hardwick to come out and vote at the Elementary School gym from 9am-7pm, or via absentee ballots. Absentee ballots can be requested from the town Clerk's office at 472-5971, or you can vote absentee directly at the Clerk’s office. Please call by April 6 to ensure you get your ballot back by April 11. You can also vote at the Town Clerk's office anytime before 4:30 on April 10.

An informational meeting will be held at the Elementary School library on Monday, April 10, at 7pm. As always, we encourage the community to attend our board meetings, and to contact us directly any time. You can email the whole board by addressing your email to hesboard@ossu.org, or you can find more information online at: http://hardwickschoolboard.ossu.org

Sincerely,
Hardwick Town School Board

Jennifer Fliegelman
Jennifer Laundry
Katherine Ingram
Kevin Moore