Jaffrey-Rindge School District voters rejected the proposed budget at the polls Tuesday, a decision expected to result in programming cuts across the district.
The proposed budget was $33.5 million, with the default at $31.99 million, a difference of just over $1.5 million.
The estimated tax impact of the default budget is a $1.95 increase per $1,000 of assessment for Jaffrey and $1.14 per $1,000 in Rindge.
Jaffrey voters overall supported the budget, 688 in favor to 421 against. Rindge voters outweighed the Jaffrey support, with 608 in favor of the budget and 943 against. The result was a difference of only 68 votes, with a total of 1,296 in favor 1,364 against.
Last year, district voters approved a budget of $30.78 million, which included a $3 million cut from the original budget proposed by the district. The School Board opted to use about $1.13 million of end-of-year funds to pay for items that would otherwise not have been in the budget, including after-school activities, athletics, universal access to 4-year-old pre-school, a French teacher and a librarian. However, those items are not included in the default budget approved by voters on Tuesday, and will once again be on the chopping block.
The majority of Rindge voters were also against the proposed collective bargaining agreement for the district’s Support Staff Association, which includes three years of negotiated salary and benefit increases. Rindge voters were against the article, with 685 in favor to 868 against, but Jaffrey voters were more overwhelmingly in favor, with 728 yes to 373 no. In total, 1,473 were in favor to 1,174 against, and the agreement passed.
The agreement includes $236,283 in increases the first year, $214,174 the second, and $245,290 the third. The estimated tax impact in the first year of the agreement is 11 cents per $1,000 of value in Jaffrey and 9 cents for Rindge.
Rindge voters rejected all other articles on the warrant as well, though by smaller margins, while Jaffrey supported the warrant as a whole, more decisively.
Jaffrey voters approved establishing a new capital reserve for employee benefits and seeding the fund with $25,000. Rindge voters were against the measure, 735 yes to 783 no, but Jaffrey voters were in favor, 761 yes to 302 no.
Similarly, Jaffrey also closed the gap for a proposed $350,000 to be added to the fund for reconstruction and repair of school buildings and equipment. Jaffrey supported the article, 704-359, while Rindge did not support it 709-811. The article ultimately passed.
Jaffrey-Rindge approves open enrollment policy
The district adopted the proposed open enrollment policy, which dictates allowing students to enroll in public schools outside of their home district. Under the current law, the home school district is responsible for 80% of the tuition for the student.
Jaffrey-Rindge proposed allowing up to 150 students from outside of the district to enroll, but to permit zero percent of the Jaffrey-Rindge population to attend other schools.
Rindge voters were against the measure in a 711-802 vote, but Jaffrey voters were in favor 705-361. The measure passed.
Petition articles
The district voted on two petition articles on Tuesday, both of which had been modified at the district’s deliberative session.
The first was a proposed budget cap. As originally written, the budget cap would have allowed a budget of $24,944 per pupil times the average daily student membership, based on the membership on Oct. 1. It was amended on the floor at the deliberative session to increase the proposed cap from $24,944 to $100,000 per pupil. The intent of the amendment, as stated by Alicia Stenersen, who proposed it, was to be absurd and encourage voters to vote down the article.
Jaffrey voters supported the amended article in a 538-480 vote, and Rindge voted against in a 534-931 vote. In total, the article failed 1,072-1,411. It required a three-fifths majority to pass.
A second petition article was to “adopt a bathroom policy that supports a student’s right to privacy.” This article was also modified during deliberative session, which originally called for a policy that “supports a student’s right to privacy, and separates biological and gender ideological bathroom choices.”
Jaffrey residents supported the article, with the amended language, in a 682-332 vote, while Rindge voted against in a 669-802 vote. Jaffrey voters held sway, with the ultimate vote 1,351 yes and 1,134 no.
Reini elected to School Board
Rindge voters elected Jared Reini, who will be a first-time member, to the Rindge seat on the School Board.
“I have three kids in the school system. When my kids are going here, I want to be a part of the system,” Reini said, while campaigning outside the polls on Tuesday. He said one of his biggest concerns was the amount of division within the community.
“We have people very against stuff, and people very for it. I think I can be that middle ground to bring people together,” Reini said. “I’m willing to learn. If I get on the board, I’m going to do a lot more listening than talking. I’m willing to hear things out.”
Reini was up for the seat against Angela May Johnson, who is a teacher in the district. Reini received 903 votes, Johnson 520.
Alicia Vitello ran unopposed for the Jaffrey seat on the School Board and was elected with 913 votes.
Robert Schaumann ran unopposed for re-election as district moderator. He received 1,068 votes in Rindge and 893 in Jaffrey.