Springfield school spending up 2.7 percent

The Springfield School Board has finalized its proposed budget for the coming year — a $26.8 million spending budget that would require a 6 percent increase in taxes.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110127/NEWS02/701279939

Published January 27, 2011 in the Rutland Herald

Springfield school spending up 2.7 percent

By Susan Smallheer
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School Board has finalized its proposed budget for the coming year — a $26.8 million spending budget that would require a 6 percent increase in taxes.

The budget shows a 2.7 percent increase in spending, said Steve Hier, director of financial services for the school district. That’s an 8.3 cent increase in the local education tax rate, which would be $1.484 under the proposed budget.

Hier said the budget was up $700,000, which is roughly the same amount of money proposed to be spent on capital projects, Those projects include a new roof to replace the leaking one over the Springfield High School gymnasium, and the final phase of a three-phase project to replace the heating system at Riverside Middle School.

Hier said the new roof would cost $140,000, and the money for the Riverside heating system is set at $725,000.

The roof situation is so bad, he said, even on Monday, when it was 20 degrees below zero, the roof was leaking, Hier said.

The budget was cut $1.2 million during the budget review process, Hier said, with most of the reductions coming in the area of capital improvements.

The budget includes reduction in staff, he said, including the elimination of three para-educator positions at Riverside, and the elimination of one of two teaching positions in the English as a second language program. The reduction was possible because of the decrease in the number of students in the program, he said.

The board also trimmed the position of French teacher, he said, again because of declining enrollment in the classes. The high school’s longtime French teacher is retiring, so the board will replace her with a part-time teacher.

Hier said Springfield High School students can take German, Russian, Spanish and French.

The board also eliminated a drug and alcohol counselor at the high school, he said.

On the plus side, the board increased a half-time position for reading and math support in the elementary schools to fulltime.

Per pupil costs in Springfield are $14,726, which is above the Vermont average, Hier said. He attributed the higher costs at the annual $2 million debt payment the town is paying for the rebuilding of the town’s two elementary schools, Elm Hill and Union Street schools.

“We will be paying off that bond for 20 years,” Hier said.