The Jaffrey-Rindge School District’s proposed budget of $30.4 million, and all other articles, passed through deliberative session on Thursday untouched by residents.
A total of 49 residents from Rindge and 39 from Jaffrey attended the session, but asked few questions and made no amendments to the articles presented.
The first article the district took up for discussion was the budget. Superintendent Reuben Duncan said that the district is currently under a default budget after last year’s proposal was voted down, and the proposal is up against two years of steep inflationary costs.
“It’s a bigger jump than we would normally see,” Duncan said. Despite the increase, Jaffrey-Rindge remains under the average cost per pupil in the state.
Increases in the proposed budget include facilities costs, food service, technology, transportation, special education, health insurance and salaries for employees who are not included in either the educational staff or support staff unions.
The default budget, should voters not pass the proposal, is $29.8 million, or the district may hold a special meeting to take up the issue of the budget only.
The budget, if passed, is expected to have an estimated tax impact of $1.91 per $1,000 of assessed value in Jaffrey and $2.12 per $1,000 in Rindge. The estimated impact under the default budget is $1.49 per $1,000 for Jaffrey and $1.80 per $1,000 for Rindge.
This year’s warrant includes a three-year agreement with the district’s support staff union, which includes paraprofessional, IT workers, administrative staff and janitorial staff. Increases include a total of $123,972 in 2023, $195,673 in 2024 and $202,113 in 2025.
“Absolutely this school district could not function without these dedicated, extraordinary employees,” Duncan said.
The district is also requesting additions to capital reserve funds, the most-significant being a $400,000 addition to the building maintenance reserve. The reserve is planned in the coming year to make improvements to exterior doors and flooring across the district, and to pave the courtyard at Jaffrey Grade School.
Duncan said the improvements are “not extraordinarily exciting,” but are needed for the district to maintain its aging buildings.
The estimated impact of the article on taxes is 37 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in Jaffrey and 28 cents per $1,000 in Rindge.
The district is also requesting to use $150,000 in funds from the current year’s unexpended fund balance to put toward the district’s special education contingency fund. The fund is used when a student moves into the district with specialized needs that weren’t budgeted for, such as an additional staff member or covering tuition for out-of-district placement.
There is currently about $75,000 in the fund. The money can be withdrawn by a vote of the School Board, following a public hearing.
If all articles pass, the estimated tax change per $1,000 is $2.39 for Jaffrey and $2.49 per $1,000 for Rindge. That equates to an increase in taxes on a $250,000 home of about $597.15 in Jaffrey and $622.53 in Rindge. Residents in both towns will vote on the budget March 14.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.