Rising contractual costs and utilities are major drivers behind this year’s Mascenic Regional School District budget, Superintendent Chris Martin explained during the district’s budget hearing on Tuesday night.

The lightly attended hearing drew only one clarifying question from the crowd, and the district is moving ahead with its proposed budget of $20.79 million, which is a $1.03 million, or 5.2 percent, increase over last year’s budget. Martin said this is the largest percentage increase the district has put forth in several years.

“Since I arrived here in 2019, we’ve been presenting a less-than-1 percent or 1 percent budget [increase],” Martin said. “We are dealing with inflation and these cost drivers that are significant and are not part of our doing.”

During the hearing, Martin explained much of that increase is beyond the district’s control, and is reflected both within the proposed budget and the default budget, which is the budget that goes into place if the proposed budget fails. The default budget is based on the previous year’s budget, with certain contractual increases included. 

The default budget is $20.49 million, about $729,616 more than the current budget, with the difference mainly attributed to increases in health insurance for employees, which increased about 15 percent; the rising cost of electricity; and increases in the district’s transportation contract.

Martin said the rising cost of health insurance was not a cost the district had control over, but it was moving employees to consumer-driven health plans, which are less-expensive for the district.

Some of the non-contractual changes that make up the difference between the proposed budget and the default include salary changes. In the current year, there is a teacher and a paraprofessional whose salaries are being paid for through grant funding that ends this year, and will be incorporated into the budget moving forward, at a cost of about $84,851.

Stipends paid to teachers who administer after school activities is also being increased, for a further $30,526 across the district. Substitute pay is also increasing, about $30,000, and another $100,000 is attributed to teacher role changes or salary pressure.

The district is also increasing salaries for employees who are not covered by either the teacher or support staff union, increasing 5 percent for those who are salaried, and 6 percent for hourly workers.

“We have been trying to make our wages more competitive with our neighbors to attract the best and the brightest and keep the best and the brightest,” Martin said.

The proposed tax impact if all articles were to pass, including the warrant articles, on a $300,000 home is expected to be $512 in Greenville or $430 in New Ipswich.

Outside of the budget, the district is proposing a three-year contract with support staff, additions to capital reserves and a move from a half-day kindergarten program to a full-day one.

The proposed cost of implementing a full-day kindergarten program is $59,909 when taking into account adding a teacher and paraprofessional position but eliminating about $70,000 in busing costs for removing the midday bus during a half-day program.

“Instructionally, it’s a practice not supported by the research,” Martin said of a half-day program. In a community survey, 83 percent of district supported the concept of full-day kindergarten.

Capital reserve requests include a $50,000 for the maintenance capital reserve and $10,000 for the food services capital reserve. Both requests, if approved, would come from the previous year’s unexpended funds, not from this year’s coming taxation.

Martin said the maintenance funds are planned to be used for improvements to the sidewalk and stone columns outside of Highbridge Hill Elementary School. The food service funds are planned to be spent on kitchen appliances.  

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.

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