While finalizing warrant articles during a supplemental public hearing on the budget Thursday night, ConVal School Board members decided to make a proposed $744,112 expansion of district preschool programming a warrant article separate from the operating budget.
The expansion of preschool, which would add three classrooms to the district’s current five, was deemed necessary by the district administration and the board in response to the desire to make the program available to all who need it and the success of preschool as a whole.
“We know that the earlier we reach out to children, the more success we will have with them,” said Dick Dunning of Peterborough.
Additionally, board members had previously expressed concerns that due to population growth in the district, based on census numbers, the current size of the preschool program would not be enough to give all of the of-age children the chance to attend.
Board members were divided on whether to have the expansion as its own article, with some members saying this would make the issue vulnerable to being voted down, while others said voters deserved a say on the issue outside of the regular budget after the district’s budget almost failed for similar reasons last year. In 2021, the ConVal budget failed prior to a recount, and board members at the time pointed to a $780,000 item in the operating budget for establishing a remote K-to-8 school option as a deciding factor in the shaky support for the budget as a whole. Board members later voted not to spend these funds in response to that controversy.
“Based on last year, and the voters and the feedback that I received, we did not give voters a chance to decide for themselves if they wanted what they considered a new program,” said Katherine Heck of Greenfield. “My purpose for creating the warrant article was so we wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past but we could support a new program.”
Despite the concerns about including the program in the budget, some board members argued that it might be difficult to properly educate members of the public on the significance of the program expansion prior to the deliberative session in February and scheduled voting in March.
“I am worried that we may not be able to, in the time remaining between now and March, we may not be able to make the best case possible for the expansion,” said Kevin Pobst of Francestown.
“I have real concerns about whether this will make it this way,” said Dunning.
Elizabeth Swan of Temple said that if board members were prepared to educate voters on expanded preschool as part of the operating budget, they should be prepared to educate them on it as a warrant article.
“The expansion is a very valuable thing, and it should be available for people to make a choice, and that’s what we’re doing with the warrant article, is giving them a choice, a chance to take action,” she said. “When we give people a choice, we build trust in them as well.”
Despite the debate, board members voted unanimously to support the article, something Dunning pointed out to his fellow members.
“I would like the public to understand, as a board, we are supporting this article as presented,” he said. “We may have disagreed how we got here, but we got here, and now we’re all saying, ‘We support this, and we think it’s worth it.’”
The operating budget was finalized at a figure of $53.7 million, a $1 million increase over last year. According to Budget Committee Chair Jim Frederickson, 75% of this is money for salaries, wages and benefits. It also includes a 3% increase for the second year of the district’s negotiated contract for transportation.
The rest of the warrant articles, separate from the operating budget and the article for preschool expansion, included the increase in salaries and wages from the negotiated collective bargaining agreement with a figure of $877,844 for the first year, as well as $100,000 to establish a technology trust fund. The remaining financial articles called for appropriating money to trust funds from fund balance as opposed to taxation, including to the building capital reserve fund, the health trust fund and the energy trust fund.
The budget will be discussed at the district’s next community forum, scheduled for Jan. 25 at from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lucy Hurlin Theater at ConVal High School. A livestream option will also be available, and those who choose to view the forum online will be allowed to submit questions during the event.
The district’s deliberative session will be on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m., and voting will take place on March 8.