Committee Recommends $65.5M Budget

Following a public hearing of the proposed school budget attended by five residents Tuesday night, the Merrimack School District's Budget Committee voted unanimously to approve a $65.5 million budget for 2012-13.

Merrimack resident Ramesh Patel commended the committee for its review of the budget.

“I'm totally supporting the budget,” he said.

However, Patel had a secondary reason to approach the committee on Tuesday night, which was to express his frustration over the lack of public awareness and participation in the budgeting process.

He noted that that school district falls in the Top 10 in the state, and while he is happy the district is doing well academically, it is frustrating to him that more people don't get involved early on in the budgeting process only to complain about spending money  when their tax bills arrive.

Patel said the school district provides a quality education to the students and he believes, “If you want a quality thing, then we need to spend some money.”

State Rep. Joe Thomas also gave the committee and the school board a couple of pats on the back.

“I'd like to commend school committee and budget committee for not raising the school budget this year,” he said.

Having run for office in 2010 on a campaign in which he promised to fight to keep state budgets down, Thomas said he appreciated the school district's effort to also control spending.

“Anything you can do to relieve the poor tax payers of any additional burden is certainly appreciated,” he said. “I thank you for your work – it's certainly a tireless job.”

The $65 million budget includes $615,000 to repair a leaky roof at James Mastricola Upper Elementary School, but also cuts several teaching, staff and administrative positions in line with declining school enrollment, committee Chairman Andy Schneider said.

The school district population is expected to decrease by about 122 students next year, Schneider said. As such, the budget calls for the removal of a fourth-grade teacher at Mastricola Elementary School, a third-grade teacher at Reeds Ferry Elementary School, a second- and fourth-grade teacher at Thorntons Ferry Elementary School, a sixth-grade teacher at Mastricola Upper Elementary School, a math teacher and a special education teacher at the high school and one assistant principal at the high school.

An administrative assistant at the high school was also removed, as were half of two full time kindergarten assistants at Mastricola and Reeds Ferry elementary schools and one Gateway teacher at the district-wide level.

The budget is essentially level-funded from last year, Schneider said, and could be reduced even more by a warrant article for the that gives the support staff an average 2.75 percent raise over the net three years, but saves the town money because of concessions made during negotiations as they relate to health care.

In its first year alone, the contract would save the district $181,000.

Committee member Gary Krupp also tried to reduce the budget further, by another $200,000 in projected savings from a new transportation contract, but since the school board has yet to approve the contract, the board voted 1-7-1 in in opposition to Krupp's motion to cut the funds.

Since the decision won't be made until Monday at the next school board meeting, and the budgets have to be finalized before then, committee member Rick Barnes said he'd like to see the school board recommend the removal of an unneeded expenditure during the deliberative session.

The committee's decision to recommend the budget means it is in line with the school board on recommending all three monetary-based articles on the warrant this year.

They both recommend the Merrimack Educational Support Staff Association's, contract, as well as $110,000 to improve the parking and congestion issues at Reeds Ferry Elementary School. Of the $110,000, $65,000 would come from capital reserve and $45,000 would come from taxes.

The school district deliberative session, to discuss these an other articles, including will be held on March 6 at 7 p.m.