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Board approves list of funding priorities to present to town council after heated debate
Summary
The Mountain Board of Education voted to approve a list of 10 funding priorities to show the town council how it would spend a potential $1 million state allocation, after members debated timing, process, and whether some items were already in the district budget.
The Mountain Board of Education voted May 26 to approve a prioritized list of potential uses for one‑time state funds and to send that list to the town council as the council sets its mill rate. The approved list focuses on five top priorities that together total roughly $1.01 million.
The list, read aloud to the board, named the top five items as a K–8 accelerated student learning math and ELA curriculum ($300,000); a high‑school PA system ($233,000) and radios ($50,000); a robotics field ($250,000); two maintenance vans ($120,000); and an entryway upgrade for Fitch High School and the central office ($60,000). The superintendent and staff described five additional option items that would be considered if more funding became available.
Board members spent more than an hour debating both the substance and the process of presenting the list. Several members said the district was on a tight timeline: the town council was scheduled that evening to set its mill rate and the council had asked for a plan showing how the district would spend any one‑time allocation. "If we say this is our plan on how we're going to spend that money, that's how we have to spend that money," one board member warned, saying the district risked losing credibility if it changed course after the council acted.
Other members raised concerns about including items that are already in the district budget or part of multi‑year capital improvement plans. Multiple speakers pointed out that some items — notably the K–8 curriculum — were already included in the board's budget but had been reduced earlier in the year; proponents said restoring that curriculum item remained a district priority. Members also questioned whether facilities projects that could be addressed through CIP or grants (auditorium sound upgrades, HVAC remediation) were appropriate uses of this windfall.
Administrators and staff clarified technical points: the PA system work is phased across multiple years and some elements had been approved for future CIP cycles; robotics and HVAC work remain contingent on grant success and test results; and the maintenance vehicles replace vans declared unsafe for road use.
After debate the board adopted the list by recorded vote. The transcript records the final vote as five yes, one no and two abstentions. The board instructed staff to transmit the list to the town council for the council's consideration.
