The Board has scheduled two informational meetings on the 2013-2014 school budget between now and Town Meeting: Saturday, February 22 at 9:00 a.m. at the Red Hen Bakery and Monday, March 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Rumney. The meetings are an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed school budget and we hope you will make time to attend.
Crafting a budget is one of the most difficult tasks the School Board performs each year. In the budget development process, the Board worked with Rumney Principal Adam Rosen and interested community and faculty members, with significant support from the Supervisory Union, to prepare the budget. From November until January, the Board discussed and re-discussed how to find the best balance between excellent educational opportunities for all Rumney students and affordability for Middlesex residents. We believe we have been successful in striking this balance.
The Board is recommending the Middlesex community fund a budget of $2,575,355 for the next academic year. This is the same budget figure that we recommended last year, and will allow Rumney to continue offering the same educational programs and services. Even with a level-funded local budget, most Middlesex taxpayers will see their tax rate rise by approximately $24 per $100,000 of assessed value. This increase in the tax rate reflects that, although the bottom line of the Rumney budget is unchanged, a smaller percentage of it is dedicated to special education, for which the school receives state and federal reimbursement. The reduction in special education spending in our budget was offset by increases in contractually negotiated items, including staff salaries and health benefits, as well as a strategic investment in math and technology integration.
In addition to the local budget, there are two other factors, outside the control of the local board, which will impact our tax rate. These are the Common Level of Appraisal and the base statewide tax rate.
The State uses the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) to equalize education taxes statewide – to ensure that properties of equal value pay equal taxes. Rather than thinking of the CLA as adjusting the tax rate, think of it as adjusting the listed value of the property to fair market value. The Middlesex tax rate is anticipated to rise by $8 per $100,000 of assessed value simply as a result of changes in property values in town.
The final piece of the equation is the base statewide tax rate, which is established by the Legislature and currently unsettled. We have been told the projected increase in the base rate may be as much as $0.07. This would translate into an increase of $115 per $100,000 of assessed value. Please note that decisions made by the local board do not directly impact the base statewide tax rate.
Also on this year’s school ballot is a request for $28,000 to replenish the building’s capital fund; the Board uses this fund to make significant improvements to our school facility. As you may know, the school’s primary wing currently has only two toilets that serve 75-80 students. We anticipate another large kindergarten class (in excess of 20 students) starting at Rumney in the fall of 2014 and believe that both sanitation and safety necessitate adding two bathroom facilities to the primary wing. The Board plans to use resources from the building’s capital fund to make this improvement to our school facility, but has warned a separate article asking the community to consider replenishing the capital fund in anticipation of this expenditure.
If you are unable to attend either of the budget meetings, please also feel free to call or email any Board member to share questions or concerns you may have. Complete contact information for Board members is available on the Rumney website at: http://grades.wcsuonline.org/rumneyweb/board.htm
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