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Superintendent presents budget that holds local impact near 1.998%, cites staffing cuts and Medicaid billing gains
Summary
The superintendent told the Selectboard the proposed district budget keeps local impact at about 1.998% by shifting staff, trimming positions and increasing billing, including nearly $900,000 projected from Medicaid billing next year; a statewide cost-sharing proposal could shift which towns pay more or less.
The superintendent outlined the school district's budget picture at the April meeting, saying the district started from a full "status‑quo" budget and then reduced costs where possible to keep the local impact to roughly 1.998%.
"We start with all of the staff and programs we have currently and budget full," the superintendent said, explaining how the district arrives at a starting point for negotiations. He said the district has averaged about 2.145% budget growth over the last eight years and noted five positional cuts in this year's budget after larger reductions in prior years.
Why this matters: the budget affects local tax rates and services. The superintendent emphasized several cost‑saving moves that reduced pressure on taxpayers, including removing a PLLD retirement benefit for a category of staff (about $100,000 saved) and bringing unemployment processing in‑house (about $45,000 saved). He also highlighted a large revenue opportunity from Medicaid billing: "we're projecting being close to $900,000 next year," he said, crediting staff and teachers for the billing work.
The presentation stressed educational outcomes alongside fiscal restraint: the superintendent said the district's students exceed the state average on English assessments and show strong growth on measures the district uses. He described efforts to maintain early‑intervention and vertical alignment pre‑K through grade 12.
The superintendent also summarized a state-level cost‑sharing proposal under consideration that would shift the local funding formula from a straight valuation basis toward a mix of valuation and student count (an initial 90% valuation/10% student count step, settling later at 80%/20%). He said the change could produce winners and losers across nearby towns and urged residents to review side‑by‑side comparisons staff will publish ahead of the June 9 vote on the formula change.
Board members and residents asked questions about after‑school childcare and program reductions. When a parent asked whether the district could offer pay‑for supervised time between dismissal and late practices, the superintendent said the district's sites are now childcare licensed and "we are intending to have a pay option beginning this summer," which could expand local before/after‑school offerings.
The superintendent said the board may take a public position on the cost‑sharing proposal but that his role at the meeting was to provide data and answer questions without endorsing a position. The Selectboard and towns will still need to weigh local impacts before the June 9 action on the cost‑sharing plan.
