The proposed budget for the Mascenic School District for the 2026-27 school year is $23,899,107, an increase of 8.75% over the current year.
School Board Chair Mitch Gluck said in an interview with the Ledger-Transcript that while the budget is increasing by approximately $1.9 million from the current $21.98 million budget, some of that increase is expected to be offset by new revenues, resulting in an estimated tax impact of about $1.57 million, or roughly 5%.
“We are not asking for the taxpayer to take on that entire 8.75% increase,” Gluck said.
The estimated tax impact of the proposed budget would be about $499 annually for a $300,000 home in Greenville and about $432 in New Ipswich.
The district has operated under a default budget for the past two years, after voters did not approve the School Board’s proposed budgets. A default budget carries forward the previous year’s spending level, with increases required by law, such as union agreements and raises previously approved by voters.
Gluck said this year’s proposed increase reflects an effort to “catch up” after two years under default budgets, factoring in inflation, new state requirements and growth in the district’s special education population.
“Default budgets are not a long-term strategy. Reduction is not a long-term strategy,” Gluck said.
Almost all of the expected increase is in salaries — about 44% — and benefits — an additional 40%.
One of the largest increases in the budget is related to the employee health insurance rate, which is projected to increase by an average of 25%, along with an 8% rise in dental insurance rates.
According to Business Administrator Rachel Anderson, the School Board is exploring other health insurance carriers and self-insurance in response to rising costs. Anderson said the district is still awaiting quotes, but said that if the district does not change health insurance carriers, the expected increase for health insurance is over $600,000.
Facilities costs make up about 10% of the increase. Anderson said that under the default budgets, routine maintenance and some needed improvements have been “kicked down the road.” Those projects include repairs to a rooftop HVAC unit at the high school that is more than 50 years old.
Another component of the increase, about 5%, is a new budget line for tuition related to open enrollment. The state-approved program allows students to attend schools outside their home district.
The Mascenic School Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget and draft warrant articles on Jan. 6.