Weare board adopts proposed $20.45 million budget, declines petition to cap budgets; urges further review for tax‑impact disclosure

The Weare School Board adopted a proposed operating budget of $20,449,303 for fiscal year 2025–26, a year‑over‑year increase the administration described as driven largely by salary, benefits and rising health insurance costs and by a state revenue decline.

Business staff presented details that make up the budget: salary and benefit increases across teacher and support staff lines, added special‑education and occupational therapy staffing, and higher district health‑insurance costs (a reported 10.7% increase for the main plan and a 12% rise for the secondary plan). Staff said the total proposed budget is $838,347 (about 4.27%) above the current year’s operating budget; the default calculation — the budget that would take effect if voters reject the proposed plan — was shown as $20,469,757 (slightly higher than the proposal under the district’s accounting of default items).

Administrators told the board the state is reducing a temporary stabilization grant that previously augmented adequacy funding; SAU calculations show the district faces a state revenue decline (presented as about $462,150.59 for the district) that contributes substantially to a projected increase in the town tax rate. Staff said the proposed tax‑rate projection baked into the budget is about $9.82 per $1,000 of assessed value; the adopted 2024 rate was $8.67. Using the presentation’s numbers, the staff said the proposed budget would raise taxes by about $441 on a $350,000 home compared with the prior year projection.

After discussion, the board approved the proposed budget by roll call.

The meeting included a public hearing and debate on three citizen petition warrant articles received by the district. The petitioned items were: - Article 5 — require the school board to publish estimated tax impacts for the annual budget and special warrant articles (RSA 32:5 provisions for an estimated tax impact notation). - Article 6 — implement a per‑pupil budget cap using a formula set in RSA 32:5‑e (the proposal specified a $24,767 per‑pupil cap adjusted by CPI-U for the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA‑NH area), which would require a 3/5 majority to adopt or to rescind. - Article 7 — an advisory warrant calling for state lawmakers to halt expansion of taxpayer funding for private education (education freedom accounts/vouchers) until auditing, transparency and accountability measures are in place; it directs the board to send the text and results to the governor and legislature if voters approve.

After public and board discussion the board elected not to recommend the budget‑cap petition (Article 6) citing concerns about the cap’s mechanics, the cap’s per‑pupil linkage to enrollment volatility, and the 3/5 threshold for rescission. The board did vote to recommend the advisory petition on private‑school taxpayer funds/accountability (Article 7) and directed staff to schedule statutorily required hearings tied to the budget‑cap petition (the district will hold a public hearing on Article 6 on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., per staff). The board discussed, but did not finalize, a uniform method of printing estimated tax impact amounts on ballots or mailers, saying that presentation language may evolve before deliberative session.

Administrators noted additional details for voters: the district’s proposed default and proposed numbers reflect different components (salary obligations, special‑education mandates, and other legally required costs land in the default calculation), and the board agreed to continue public outreach — including a candidate and budget forum scheduled for March 4 at John Stark — to explain the items before the deliberative session.

The board also certified the district warrant and appointed a deputy school district ballot clerk for the upcoming warrant and election activity.