ConVal’s 2017-2018 budget is proposed to be $20,000 less than its current operating budget.
Although the proposed budget is less than what it’s currently operating under, the district assessment is set to increase, which is largely a result of revenue losses.
“The increase in assessment is directly related to the loss of revenue,” Business Administrator Marian Alese said during a Selectmen’s Advisory Committee meeting Thursday.
Alese said a loss in revenues is largely a result of less money being drawn from an unreserved fund balance and a decline in adequacy money from the state, which is allotted based off student enrollment numbers.
The district receives $3,400 per student. For many years adequacy dollars were allotted using old district enrollment numbers. But this year the state has adjusted the amount of dollars it is giving out based on more current enrollment numbers, which continue to drop.
“Obviously our enrollment numbers have gone down and so have a number of other ones across the state,” Alese said.
There are 2,149 students enrolled at ConVal this year, 20 students less than last year. The district’s student enrollment numbers have dropped every year for the past decade. During the 2006-2007 school year, there were 3,104 students enrolled in the district.
To lessen the burden of shrinking enrollment, the state has implemented a stabilization measure, which reduces funding to schools by 4 percent every year.
Superintended Kimberly Saunders said the state has not increased funding based off the rate of inflation or considered price hikes to New Hampshire state retirement.
One major issue with receiving less state money is being able to maintain aging infrastructure at the district’s 11 facilities.
The district is looking to renovate science labs at the high school, and potentially packaging that project with other updates.
“We have two middle schools that are 30 years old and are going to need some capital investments in the very near future,” Alese said. “Our new buildings are 20 years old.”
She said trust funds were set up with the intention to dip into the accounts for capital improvement projects, but that future projects will have to be discussed and prioritized before they move forward.
At a recent school board meeting, the second version of the 2017-2018 budget was unanimously approved. It will be presented at an upcoming public hearing. If the budget doesn’t pass, the district’s default budget is about $620,000 lower than its current operating budget.
Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.