The Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District operating budget proposal of approximately $15.84 million, an increase of approximately 3.97% from the current budget of slightly less than $15.28 million, was approved unanimously by the WLC School Board Tuesday. 

In spite of gradually decreasing enrollment in the district – student numbers are down from 590 in 2021 to 527 this year – certain expenses have driven the budget increase. The biggest factor is $296,508 more to cover the cost of health insurance. Employee salaries account for a $173,064 increase in the request, while $98,195 more is sought to cover transportation costs and $54,250 more is for special education. 

Some costs are down from last year, as well, including replacing food service equipment, with $29,998 less required to cover that expenditure. Energy costs are also down for the district. 

SAU63 Business Administrator Krisitie LaPlante explained the $21,400 decrease in expected electricity costs Wednesday.

“We switched vendors a few years ago and buy in bulk from Constellation Energy,” she said, adding that the district has also moved toward energy-efficient lighting in schools. 

The budget also accounts for personnel reductions of two teaching staff, an instructional aide and reductions in administrative and technology  staffing. 

District residents will also vote on a warrant article that would fund a school resource officer at a cost of $166,320 who would also serve as an officer in Wilton. The Budget Committee voted 7-2 against recommending this article, while the School Board approved it by a 5-4 vote. 

In other news, SAU63 Superintendent Peter Weaver announced a restructuring of teaching assignments for next year. 

“At the sixth- and eighth-grade level, one teacher will cover English language arts and history and another will cover math and science. In grade seven, there will be ELA, history and math teachers, and each one will cover one section of science,” Weaver said, adding that all staff are certified to cover these changes.

Asked after the meeting about making sure that teachers are prepared to cover new content, Weaver noted that a plan was in place.

“During the summer, some high school teachers are going to mentor some middle school teachers to help them get ready for this. It’ll be all hands on deck,” he said. 

Weaver said that one factor driving this change was input from parents of incoming sixth-graders.

“These classes will be more self-contained,” he said, explaining that self-contained classrooms are a norm in lower grades, and that some parents had said that the transition to changing rooms for subjects can be a big one. 

WLC Principal Tom Ronning also said the district is challenged to reduce staffing.

In other news, Ronning announced that repairs of the tennis courts have been completed, and so he would like to see the school’s tennis tea m resurrected this spring.