The Jaffrey-Rindge School Board voted on Monday to use up to $335,000 in this year’s funds to purchase technology, equipment and furniture for district schools – costs which were removed from the proposed budget for next year.
During the meeting, board members reviewed the list of items to be purchased, which included $175,000 for new projectors and student Chromebook laptops.
Superintendent Reuben Duncan explained the district put off purchasing three grades’ worth of laptops in the current year, as the district is under a default budget. This year, the district would use a portion of the $175,000 not only to purchase the scheduled replacement for 2023-2024, but also for grades three, six and nine, which were skipped last year.
Duncan said the outdated Chromebooks do not support the browser needed for certain state testing, or the PSAT and SAT.
About $112,000 was allocated for facilities, including purchasing a new washer and dryer for Rindge Middle School, vestibules for both elementary schools, restroom stalls, tools, dehumidifiers, burnishers, carpet extractors, scrubbers, steam cleaners and upright vacuums.
A further $35,000 was allocated for furniture and equipment for the middle/high school, and $7,400 for furniture for the elementary schools.
The board unanimously approved using up to $335,000 in unexpended funds from the current year for the purchases. Prior to the approval, the district had a total of $901,170 in the unexpended fund balance.
District approves support staff agreement
Also during Monday’s meeting, the board approved a three-year agreement with the district’s support staff union. The support staff includes administrative assistants and secretaries, paraeducators, IT maintenance and custodians.
The overall increase anticipated following the ratification of the agreement is $123,972 in the coming year, $195,763 in 2024-2025, and $202,113 in 2025-2026.
The first year’s increase is expected to have approximately an 11 cents per $1,000 of value on the Jaffrey tax rate and nine cents per $1,000 for Rindge.
As part of the updated agreement, the district has agreed to a 50-cent increase for all staff that have worked at the district for more than a year, but have not yet reached the top step in their pay, in addition to already-planned step increases.
The district has also agreed to reimburse paraeducator certification costs and recertification costs for members of the union, and employees who agree to substitute for absent teachers receive an additional $8 per hour, on top of their regular wages.
Employees who work at least 210 days per year, and at least 30 hours per week, have had their paid vacation leave increased, commensurate with how long they have been with the district, with those having worked there for up to five years receiving 10 days, and those who have worked 16 or more years receiving 25 days. Employees can roll over up to five days of vacation time until Sept. 30 of the next year, in extenuating circumstances.
Employees working less than 210 days per year will have two extra paid holidays under the new agreement, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, where previously only Christmas Day was a paid holiday.
The current amount of wages and benefits for all support staff in the district is about $2.4 million. Board member Charlie Eicher noted that the difference for the coming year represented about a 5 percent increase.
“That’s reasonable, considering inflation,” Eicher said.
District accepts SAFE grants
Also in a public hearing on Monday, the board voted to accept a total of $252,173 in grant funding for safety improvements at all district school buildings.
The grants include $89,272 for Conant High School, $70,554 for Jaffrey-Rindge Middle School, $29,774 for Jaffrey Grade School, and $62,573 for Rindge Memorial School.
The district received the entirety of its request for the Conant High School and Jaffrey-Rindge Middle School improvements, but only a portion for improvements at the elementary schools. Duncan said the district plans to address some of the other planned improvements at the elementary level with internal funds.
The board unanimously voted to accept the grant funding for the improvements.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.