Madison's Proposed Budget Increasing by 2.7 Percent

(Editor’s note: We published this story earlier in the week, but here it is in case you missed it)

The Madison Board of Finance is proposing a $77.8 million spending plan for fiscal 2015-16, which increases spending by 2.7 percent, reports the Madison Source.

The $23.97 million town operations budget calls for a 2.7 percent increase and First Selectman Fillmore McPherson told the Source that the budget simply maintain currents services.

Madison Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice has told Madison Patch that the Board of Education’s $53.82 million budget for fiscal 2015-16, represents a 2.49 percent spending increase over the current budget of $52.51 million.

Scarice has said the main reasons for the budgetary increase is 1.80 percent of the proposed 2.49 percent increase is attributed to contractual obligations including salaries, mandated services, debt payments, insurance, transportation and special education.

According to the town’s website, the Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Walter C. Polson Middle School concerning the proposed budgets.

A budget referendum will be held on Tuesday, May 12 where residents can vote yes or no on both the school and town budgets.

To view the entire proposed budget please click here.

Read the full Madison Source story here.

Scarice’s thoughts on the school budget and what it accomplishes

“We believe that the request is reasonable, even in tough economic times. As a district, we developed a plan for preparing our students for a very different world. The challenges of the 21st century are profound.

The challenges of work, citizenship, and life have become more and more complex as a result of the information age and globalization. We had to ask ourselves, what are the learning goals of our school district? They cannot be simply to perform well on a test.

Students must not simply accumulate knowledge, but must be able to do something with knowledge. The capacities to create, to problem-solve complex problems across disciplines, to work effectively with others, to be a self-directed learner…these are the capacities that will serve our students well when they leave our schools.

The plan for curriculum development, and for powerful learning experiences, is something that has remained consistent over the past three years. Even with a modest increase over the contractual obligations we face, we believe that we can do this work and truly take our district to the next level. As a district we take great pride in leading the way for others,” Scarice said.