Kensington board proposes $50,000 (building), $20,000 (special ed), $5,000 (technology) trust-fund additions from surplus
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Summary
The school board put three expendable-trust warrant articles before voters to set aside projected unassigned fund balance for building maintenance ($50,000), special-education contingencies ($20,000), and technology ($5,000); no new taxes are proposed—the funds would come from projected surplus.
Kensington — At the deliberative session the Kensington School Board presented three expendable trust-fund warrant articles asking voters to place funds into targeted reserves from a projected unassigned fund balance rather than increase taxation.
Article 3 would place up to $50,000 in the school building repair and maintenance expendable trust fund to cover near-term capital projects such as HVAC controls and boiler replacement planning. The board described the trust funds as "savings accounts" for large unplanned expenses and said the building fund currently holds about $90,000.
Article 4 would place up to $20,000 in the special-education expendable trust fund. SAU representative Renee Bennett told voters that out-of-district placements can cost roughly $250,000 per year and recommended districts maintain a sizable contingency; the SAU guideline cited a $250,000 target for a fully funded cap.
Article 5 would add up to $5,000 to a technology capital reserve fund to cover unexpected needs such as replacing student devices that become incompatible with state testing platforms or expensive safety-and-security server repairs.
Board members repeatedly clarified that these funds would be drawn from a projected unassigned fund balance (surplus) available on June 30 and would not raise additional tax dollars this year. The board also explained the school board acts as agent to expend funds from those accounts subject to qualifying uses.
What happens next: Voters will decide the trust-fund warrant articles on the March ballot.