Molly, the district’s finance presenter, told the Stratham School Board on Dec. 11 that the FY27 budget separates operating and bond costs and includes grants appropriated at the district level. She said department-level changes were small but the addition of the bond repayment and negotiated contract increases together produce a measurable effect on taxpayers.

"So article 1 being the operating budget, article 2 being the collective bargaining agreement would be a 72 projected 72¢ per thousand impact on your tax bill," Molly said during the presentation. She added that the Department of Education’s projected adequacy figure had fallen "from 1.025 to 1.001," which reduces projected state revenue and increases the local tax burden absent other offsets.

Why it matters: The board is preparing an operating-warrant and a separate warrant for teacher contract increases. If both pass at the annual meeting, the amounts are combined into the district’s voted MS-22 budget and used in the Department of Revenue calculations that determine the school portion of residents’ tax cards.

Board members pressed staff for clearer homeowner-facing numbers. A board member asked for a simple matrix showing the expected dollar change for an average home; Molly agreed to produce a table showing examples for different house values. Board members also flagged the need for a mock-up showing where a projected $380,006 in contract-related increases would be distributed across salary, FICA and pension lines.

On the bond: Finance staff explained the bond was presented in the budget appropriation as a single line item because the first year is interest-only and including a percentage change on top of typical operating increases would be misleading. Board members were told the district received bond proceeds into an interest-bearing account and will draw down funds to pay contractors; any surplus after project closeout would return to the general fund and could reduce future tax pressure.

Trust funds and reserves drew sustained attention. Committee members reiterated prior recommendations to grow the special-education trust and building/maintenance reserves: past discussion placed a $500,000 target for maintenance and a $50,000 technology target (to be reached over several years) to cover future capital and replacement cycles.

What’s next: FACT (the board’s budget advisory committee) will finalize its recommendation at the public hearing. The board may hold a short workshop if members want additional detail before the public hearing; the district will publish the homeowner-impact examples and detailed breakdowns requested by the board.

Vote and procedural notes: The board approved the public minutes from Nov. 19 earlier in the meeting and agreed to appoint an interim school district clerk; those formal actions were recorded by voice vote.