Voters at Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District’s annual meeting on Saturday voted to increase the proposed budget by $168,300 to restore teaching positions that were proposed to be cut, and said no to a proposed school resource officer position.

The budget, as originally proposed, was set at $15.8 million, which is an increase of about $591,242, or just under a 4% increase over the current operating budget.

Employee health insurance and salaries were the biggest drivers in the increases this year, accounting for about $370,000. The increase also accounts for a difference in how the district is accounting for a $350,000 federal grant, which previously was considered revenue but is now included in the operating budget, even though the cost is still covered by the grant, and does not impact the amount of revenue the district will have to raise.

During a presentation of the budget, Budget Committee Chair Jeff Jones pointed to declining enrollment numbers and rising costs as part of the reason the district was looking to right-size staffing numbers, including the reduction of 2.4 full-time equivalent teaching staff positions. Cuts were anticipated to include a middle school science teacher, an elementary school teacher and reducing a nurse and physical education teacher. Other reductions included reduction of an instructional aid, a 0.4 administrative staff reduction and 0.25 technology staff reduction.

Resident Mike Steele of Wilton asked the administration what the cost to the district would be to at least retain the 2.4 teaching staff positions. When told it would be about $168,300, he moved to increase the budget by that amount for that purpose.

Jones said the cuts had been made in a way to least impact the district. Superintendent Peter Weaver said that there are always impacts, and those impacts would have included increased class sizes.

Tom Ronning, principal of Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative Middle/High School, said ,“When you make cuts, they’re going to matter. If we needed to do it, we’re prepared to do it. Any cut you make is going to make a difference.” He added that in his opinion, it wouldn’t be a positive difference.

When asked if the teacher reductions were motivated by budget concerns or some other reason, Weaver said he would not make the cuts if there were not downward pressure from the budget.

WLC senior Harry Krug, who was recently accepted into Dartmouth College, a school with an acceptance rate of about 5%, spoke to the importance of teacher support.

“It’s so much harder applying for these schools from these small towns,” said Krug. “These teachers helped me every step of the way.”

Voters approved the amendment in a show of hand vote, leaving the final budget at just over $16 million.

Voters nix school resource officer

Voters said no to a single issue on the warrant on Saturday – the question of whether the district should contract with the Town of Wilton to fund a school resource officer who would serve the entire district.

School Board members Tiffany Cloutier-Cabral and Darlene Anzalone said the prospect of a school resource officer has been discussed since 2004. A community survey in 2023, with 201 respondents, showed about 60% of respondents felt it was “important” to have a resource officer, and 52% supported funding the position via a combination of school and town budgets.

The proposal for the school resource officer was to have a partnership with the Wilton Police Department, where the resource officer would work in the district for 70% of the work year, and during the summer months, work as a regular officer with the Wilton Police Department.

The district would have funded $124,740, and Wilton would have funded $41,580 to cover the salary of an extra officer during the school off-months. The article was contingent upon Wilton approving its portion of the cost during Town Meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday evening. The article is now anticipated to be tabled.

Residents expressed mixed opinions on the prospect, some disliking the concept of a school resource officer, some in support and some saying that the district just can’t swallow the additional cost at this time.

Tom Schultz, a Wilton selectman, said he has been advocating for a resource officer for years, saying he finds value in it, particularly in combating the potential for school violence.

“I think the perception is that because we’re little old Wilton or little old Lyndeborough, that nothing can happen here,” Schultz said. “It can happen anywhere.”

DJ Garcia, another Wilton selectman, said he voted not to recommend the article on Wilton’s warrant, saying that the Police Department is already understaffed and “stretched.” He said it would be difficult to sustain the position going forward.

Wilton resident Don Rankin said that there were downsides to having an officer in school, and pointed to the potential for discrimination and increased contact with police at a young age.

Wilton resident Deb Mortvedt said she grew up with a school resource officer, noting that she attended a much larger school than Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative. She said that the local police departments already have a close relationship with the schools, and while she said that’s a positive thing, WLC was too small to support a full-time resource officer.

School Budget Committee member Adam Lavallee said for him it was a “number problem,” pointing out, “Three schools, one officer.”

When the question came to a vote, the vote was resoundingly no, with only a few scattered “ayes” in support.

Voters also amended a warrant article asking for $275,000 to add to the district’s building and roads capital reserve fund. Wilton resident Joe Torre moved to amend the article to $272,000, which more accurately reflected the funds needed for this year’s and future projects. The voters approved the amendment, and then the article in voice votes.

Facilities improvements expected over the next year include pavement coating at Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative, painting and addressing roof issues at WLC, replacing tiles in WLC, and replacing the boiler at Lyndeborough Central School.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.