River Valley Tech budget down slightly

The River Valley Technical Center will hold its annual district meeting tonight to propose a 2014-15 budget that’s down slightly from the current academic year.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140227/NEWS02/702279852/1003

Published February 27, 2014 in the Rutland Herald River Valley Tech budget down slightly Staff Report SPRINGFIELD — The River Valley Technical Center will hold its annual district meeting tonight to propose a 2014-15 budget that’s down slightly from the current academic year. Under the plan, taxpayers would see their portion decrease a slight 0.56 percent to $2,524,876 and the overall budget drop a slighter 0.036 percent to $2,801,876. At the same time, grants are expected to rise 2.52 percent to $163,000 and adult education income increase 10 percent to $114,000. The school serves nearly 300 students, with about half coming from the nearby Springfield High School. Voters in Springfield will decide the budget alongside fellow district residents from the Bellows Falls Union High School towns of Athens, Grafton, Rockingham and Westminster (representing 12 percent of enrollment) Black River Union High School towns of Ludlow and Mount Holly (7 percent of enrollment) and Green Mountain Union High School towns of Andover, Chester and Cavendish (11 percent of enrollment.) The school also serves students from Fall Mountain Regional High School in neighboring Langdon, N.H., as well as from the Vermont towns of Baltimore, Landgrove, Londonderry, Peru and Weston, although those places don’t vote on the budget, but simply are charged tuition. The school offers audio and video production, business and financial services, carpentry, computers, criminal justice, culinary arts, health careers, horticulture and natural resources, human services, industrial trades, mechanical design and innovation, pre-technical studies and technology essentials. In the past year, 61 percent of graduates went on to enroll in post-secondary education while another 31 percent are employed. In addition, 250 students are part of the center’s Adult Education Program, which offers some 40 different specialized training and credential bearing courses ranging from licensed nursing assistant to American sign language to the “green sweep custodial training course.” The school will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. tonight in its Room B214. Voters then will cast ballots Tuesday at their town meeting polling places. The school’s 52-page annual report is available on its website, www.rvtc.org.