Projected school tax break shrinks almost in half

Residents who were anticipating a 6-cent decrease in the school portion of their property tax bill will likely have to settle for about half that amount.

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Projected Springfield school tax break shrinks almost in half By Susan Smallheer STAFF WRITER | April 06,2016 Email Article Print Article SPRINGFIELD — Residents who were anticipating a 6-cent decrease in the school portion of their property tax bill will likely have to settle for about half that amount. Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin announced Monday night that recent changes in education funding by the Vermont Legislature had cut the projected reduction to 3 ½ cents. “It’s the first tax cut in a decade,” McLaughlin told members of the Springfield School Board. “But it’s not as large as expected. I want to be very transparent with our public.” McLaughlin said the adjustments to the state education funding formula, and the recent spending caps imposed by the Legislature in 2015, had reduced the Springfield tax break. Springfield, responding to Act 46, had cut spending. Voters had been told this winter the Springfield school budget would result in a six-cent decrease, after the School Board had made significant cuts to avoid any increase and associated financial penalties for too large an increase. The board agreed with a plan by McLaughlin to shut down The Gateway School, a program within the school district for troubled students. The students will be absorbed into the regular school system, but in the process 14 jobs were eliminated. “We would be shocked if there’s any additional decrease,” said McLaughlin after the meeting. He said the Vermont House had adjusted the “yield” portion of the school funding formula in response to complaints from other school districts who were about to hit the spending cap established by the Legislature. “The Legislature felt political pressure,” he said, adding that there was confusion among state agencies on state funding formulas, which added to the problem. In other business, school finance director Steve Hier outlined the district’s agreement with Vermont Telephone Co., or Vtel, to replace two old telephone systems at Park Street School. Hier said the school building was served by two different systems, one for the administrative offices, which dated to 1990, and the system that served the rest of the building, which had been installed in the building in 2000 after being removed from Springfield High School. He said the new system, a VoIP, or voice over Internet protocols, would be portable if the school district ever stops using Park Street School. He said the “brain” of the system would be rented from Vtel, in addition to all the software. Hier said the change would actually save the district money, since it was costing $6,300 a year to operate and maintain the two systems; the new single system will cost $5,400 a year.