Jaffrey-Rindge’s deliberative session rejected an amendment to decreased the district’s proposed operating budget Wednesday.
Although he was not acting on behalf of the board, Jaffrey Selectman Kevin Chamberlain introduced the amendment with the intention of cutting the proposed operating budget from $27.5 million to the default number of $26.9 million. He said his reasoning was based largely on the increased tax burden being placed on Jaffrey this year, due to student enrollment shifts that increased Jaffrey’s tax contribution.
“I’ve been a taxpayer in Jaffrey for 40 years,” he said. “I cannot remember a time when either Jaffrey or Rindge were faced with an increase of this magnitude for a tax bill.”
Chamberlain also said that if the budget was amended at the deliberative session, the School Board and district administration would have more time to make the shifts necessary to accommodate the spending loss.
Superintendent Reuben Duncan said the proposed budget carried a 2.8% increase, and that the district’s goal was to keep it under a 3% increase.
“It has been a fairly painful process,” he said. “We had to cut many things out.”
The largest increase within the budget was an almost $1 million jump in expenses related to special education, an unexpected increase that would be largely included in the default budget even if the operating budget were to be voted down. Duncan pointed out that if this figure was removed as a line item, the operating budget would have actually decreased.
“We knew we needed to be as frugal as possible,” he said.
Resident Kevin Swift of Jaffrey spoke in defense of the budget and advocated for leaving it as is.
“The School Board and administration have done a huge job of trying to find cost savings and ways of making things work for less,” he said. “It is a big pinch – but this is for the kids, this is for the future, this is what we need to be doing.”
Chamberlain’s proposed amendment was defeated by a secret ballot vote, and the budget will appear as initially proposed for the district’s vote.
Petition article on learning materials rendered moot
A change to a petition warrant article angling for increased public access to district learning materials rendered it moot.
The article was initially worded to require the School Board to make instructional materials used in classrooms available in the public libraries of each district town. The language additionally had a deadline of Sept. 15 for the district to make the materials available. The lead petitioner, Roberta Oeser of Rindge, said the article was sent to her, although she did not say by whom.
“It’s not a problem in this school district, but this is to keep what the district, the legislative body, what they feel is inappropriate out of the schools,” she said. “This is the only way to monitor it.”
Another petitioner, Jim Quinn of Rindge, said the article was really about transparency.
“It’s about openness in government,” he said, adding that he was aware that most curriculum information is already publicly-available upon request, but that this method would make it easier to access so parents “can monitor what their children are being taught.”
Discussion of the article included what kind of an impact it would have on the district’s teachers, as well as the logistical difficulties with putting it into action. The administration also pointed out that, according to legal counsel, the article would be advisory in nature if left unchanged and passed, and the School Board would not be compelled to comply with its language.
A high school paraprofessional, Joseph Fourtier of Rindge, said the article would have adverse effects on district teachers.
“I understand it would make things more convenient for those who want to see what we’re doing,” he said. “But it would be an undue burden for a classroom teacher.”
Fourtier added that the deadline would especially hamstring teachers, and that teachers often shift tactics midstream to more effectively engage students, including using current events to make lessons more real.
“These are modifications to instruction in real time, to opportunistically create an understanding with the students,” he said. “And you’d be taking that away for the convenience of your surveillance of what we’re doing.”
Swift introduced an amendment to delete the actionable paragraphs from the article and render it ineffective. The amendment passed by voice vote.
“Everything is open,” he said. “All we have to do is ask.”
The School Board presented its case for its other warrant articles, including the collective bargaining agreements with the Education Association and the Support Staff Association. These would account for a $455,745 and $61,405 increase in spending this fiscal year. Both contracts are for two years, and the second year would see a $394,762 increase from the Education Association contract and a $10,554 decrease from the Support Staff contract.
Additionally, board members advocated for the necessity of its proposed lease-purchase agreement for $4.4 million in order to upgrade the heating, ventilation and air conditionig system at Jaffrey-Rindge Middle School and Conant High School, with School Board member John McCarthy of Jaffrey saying that the systems are in disrepair.
The final warrant articles are to add money to district reserve funds — $300,000 to the building maintenance capital reserve fund and $75,000 to the special education contingency fund.
Voting on these warrant articles will take place on March 8 at the Pratt Auditorium from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Jaffrey voters and at the Rindge Memorial School Gymnasium from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Rindge voters.