School Committee Budget Addresses Many Concerns

The has been working on their budget since December when .

This weekend they approved a budget that comes in at a 3.42 percent increase over last year’s budget.

In his initial presentation, Landman outlined some of the challenges the schools would face including increased costs for personnel, a lower amount of state aid and a request from the town to maintain level funding from last year.

Since that presentation the committee has discussed the budget for each school with it's principal and has heard from many residents about cuts that were proposed.

Two big concerns for town members were the and . Both problems were solved in the budget that was approved on Saturday.

To deal with these increases as well as other needed costs like maintenance, the committee cut the technology requests that were submitted as well as the classroom supplies.

In addition they raised revenue by increasing the cost of participation in high school sports by $25 each, increasing the cost of full-day kindergarten by $300 and implementing of a fee for students who are taking the bus to a daycare location.

“With this budget, the School Committee is able to protect the classroom experience provided to students, continue to work toward Strategic Plan initiatives, and be fiscally responsible to the community,” a press release from the School Committee said.

When the town sent out it’s budget message in December, they asked each department to turn in a budget that did not increase cost above fiscal year 2012. The school Committee’s budget comes in well over that at a 3.42 percent or  $1.1 million increase. 

“There was a tremendous amount of feedback offered by the community throughout the budget process, and the School Committee would like to thank all who shared their comments and perspectives. Understanding what the community values and prioritizes helped guide the School Committee through difficult choices between many valued programs and initiatives, and the current economic challenges faced by residents,” the press release said.