NEW BOSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 2016 Warrant Article Voters Guide

Transcription

1 NEW BOSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 2016 Warrant Article Voters Guide New Boston School Board Wendy Lambert (Chair) Term Expires 2016 Glen Dickey (Vice Chair) Term Expires 2016 Fred Hayes Term Expires 2016 William (Bill) Schmidt Term Expires 2018 Kary Jencks Term Expires 2017 Jed Callen (School District Moderator) Term Expires 2017 Barbara Hayes (School District Treasurer) Term Expires 2017 Maralyn Segien (School District Clerk) Term Expires 2017 A Special Place to Learn and Grow NBCS Administration Tori Underwood Tim Stokes Deborah Richard SAU Administration Brian Balke MaryClaire Barry Salina Millora Ray Labore Kate Magrath NBCS Principal NBCS Assistant Principal NBCS Special Education Facilitator Superintendent of Schools Assistant Superintendent of Schools Director of Special Education Business Administrator Director of Human Resources The New Boston School Board is pleased to provide you with this Warrant Article Guide for your reference. The board has worked hard to develop explanations for each of the articles that will appear on the School District Warrant on Tuesday, March 8, It is our continued goal to maintain open lines of communication with the public.

2 You are hereby notified to meet on Tuesday, the Eighth day of March 2016 to vote on all matters by official ballot. The polls are open on March 8, 2016 at seven o clock in the forenoon until seven o clock in the evening in the Tom Mansfield Gym at the New Boston Central School, 15 Central School Road. ARTICLE 1 Election of Officers To choose two members of the School Board for the ensuing three years. To choose one member of the School Board for the ensuing one year. EXPLANATION: Voters will elect individuals to fill the open School Board positions. There are two three-year term positions and one one-year term position. ARTICLE 2: Operating Budget Shall the School District raise and appropriate as an Operating Budget, not including appropriations by special warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately, the amounts set forth on the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling FOURTEEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($14,574,425.00)? Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be FOURTEEN MILLION FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-TREE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE DOLLARS ($14,493,679.00), which is the same as last year, with certain adjustments required by previous action of the School District or by law; or the governing body may hold one special meeting, in accordance with RSA 40:13, X and XVI, to take up the issue of a revised operating budget only. This warrant article (the Operating Budget Article) does not include appropriations in ANY other warrant articles. (Majority vote required) The Finance Committee voted To Recommend EXPLANATION: The $14,574, operating budget is recommended unanimously by the New Boston School Board and the town Finance Committee. The proposed operating budget is $80,746 or 0.56% more than the $14,493,679 default budget, and is $127,855 or 0.89%, more than the current year s appropriation of $14,446,570. The current year appropriation includes a FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR ($50,000.00) deposit to the New Boston Central School Facilities Renovation and Repair Fund, authorized by voters in March of The proposed operating budget is driven by student populations in three schools: there are 525 elementary school students attending New Boston Central School. This portion of the budget is managed locally and includes administration, teachers, staff, programming and service cost for the school district s pre-k, kindergarten, elementary school, and food service operations. The proposed operating budget also includes the cost of tuition for New Boston to send 175 students to Mountain View Middle School and 315 students to Goffstown High School. The tuition payments to the Goffstown School District are calculated using a formula from the contract that applies to this arrangement (the AREA). The formula calculates New Boston s allocated share of the expense of our students attending

3 Goffstown s schools based on what percentage of the total student population at those schools comprises New Boston students, and the total budget appropriations required for Goffstown to operate those schools. The proposed operating budget also supports specialized in-district and out-of-district programs for all of our students, no matter what their educational needs might entail, and no matter what school(s) they attend. Federal and state aid to New Boston, the Grant Fund portion of the budget, shows a modest increase of $1900 for a total of $96,400. There is also a decrease of $23,623 in the Food Service Fund for a new total of $142,766. This decrease is attributable to lower sales volume resulting from both the menu and pricing constraints which are part of the 2010 Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act. Both the Federal Grant Funds and Food Service Operations are self-funding; revenues are used to offset expenses. The state average for per pupil expenses in for Pre-School through 12 th grade was $14, For elementary schools it was $14, New Boston Central School per pupil expenses for the school year was $11,665.34, the 7 th lowest in the state. Despite this low spending, we exceed the state average in NECAP testing. The costs for SAU services have increased by $57,742. This cost increase is attributable to the transfer of the Facilities and Information Technology Directorships from the Goffstown School District to SAU 19. In essence, the New Boston School District will now have the benefit of two director level positions for the strategic planning and management of the school district s operations. This budget does not include the costs associated with any other special warrant article. A majority vote is required.

4 ARTICLE 3: Shall the School District vote to approve the cost item included in the 3-year Collective Bargaining Agreement reached between the School Board and the New Boston Education Association which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits: Year Estimated Increase $126, ($59,455.00) $126, and further to raise and appropriate the sum of ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY-EIGHT DOLLARS ($126,288.00) for the fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increase in salaries and benefits over those of the appropriation at current staffing levels in accordance with the most recent collective bargaining agreement. This appropriation is in addition to Warrant Article #2, the Operating Budget Article. (Majority vote required.) The Finance Committee voted Recommend EXPLANATION: The New Boston School Board met with representatives of the New Boston Education Association for several contract negotiation meetings last fall. Wording in key areas of the existing contract was fine-tuned and agreed upon by both sides. The new contract will be in place for three years beginning this summer, and provides for year-over-year salary increases

5 of 2.5% during each of the respective years in the contract period. In 2017, a health insurance driver plan will be implemented which is estimated to save the district $180,071 in its first year. The Board feels that in coordination with the changes to the health insurance, the wage increases are fair and they provide its professional employees with a competitive salaries and benefits package. The Board looks forward to continuing the long-standing, harmonious relations it shares with its employees. The New Boston School Board and the town Finance Committee voted unanimously to approve this contract. Article 3 requests the approval of voters of a 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the New Boston Education Association. A majority vote is required. ARTICLE 4: Shall the School District vote to raise and appropriate up to FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($50,000.00) for deposit into the existing New Boston Central School Facilities Renovation and Repair Fund and to authorize the use of that amount from the June 30, 2016 Unreserved Fund balance (surplus) available for transfer on July 1, This appropriation is in addition to Warrant Article #2, the Operating Budget Article. (Majority vote required.) The Finance Committee voted To Recommend EXPLANATION: This article is asking the voters for authorization to deposit up to $50, into the Renovations and Repair Capital Reserve Fund, should there be adequate funds to do so at the end of the fiscal year. The purpose of this fund is to cover planned renovation and repair costs of the school (e.g., roof replacement, parking lot repairs). In 2011, the total value of the fund was $200,000. The White Building and Fire Cistern projects consumed $120,000 of the fund in 2013 which was offset by additional deposits in 2012 and 2013 totaling $120,000. Recent Oil Remediation, septic system and portable

6 classroom projects have consumed $160,000 of this repair and renovation fund leaving a current fund balance of $40,000. $79,638 has been received from the State of New Hampshire as an offset for the Oil Remediation project and was deposited into the Capital Reserve Fund. If the voters approve the $50,000 deposit of Unreserved Funds discussed in Article 4, the balance of the Facilities Renovation and Repair Fund will be $170,000. School administration had the roof inspected a year ago and it was noted that the roof would need repairs as there were intermittent leaks throughout the older part of the building. Leaking was noted along the various roof seams of the existing system. Repair work is not considered extensive. The roof inspection suggests that the entire system has approximately 4 to 5 years of remaining useful life. This article would be funded from unencumbered monies from this year and would not directly increase the tax rate. The money in this account would be spent only after School Board authorization. In order to put money into this fund, it requires a vote by the voters on a Warrant Article each year. A majority vote is required. ARTICLE 5 To see if the school district will vote to authorize, indefinitely until rescinded, to retain year-end unassigned general funds in an amount not to exceed, on a cumulative basis in any fiscal year, 2.5 percent of the current fiscal year s net assessment, in accordance with RSA 198:4-b, II. Such fund balance retained may only be used to reduce the tax rate or for emergencies to be approved by the NH Department of Education under RSA 32:11. (Majority vote required.) The Finance Committee voted To Recommend The language used to present Article 5 is that prescribed by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration EXPLANATION: On August 12, 2012, RSA 198:4-b Contingency Fund became effective. With local voter approval, the new law allows individual school districts to establish and maintain a contingency fund to be used only for emergency expenditures or for tax rate reduction. The new law allows school districts to maintain a contingency fund balance much like our municipal governments. This new contingency fund would now provide for a savings account for unanticipated events, emergencies, and tax rate relief while not impacting the current operating budget. At this time, the school district returns all unreserved fund balance at the end of the school year to the voters for tax relief. The new law allows a school district to set aside up to 2.5% on a cumulative basis in any fiscal year the current year s net assessment in accordance with RSA 198:5. The district s net assessment is comprised of the funding provided by the local education tax assessments. Using this current year as an example, the New Boston School District will raise about $8.8M locally Of this total, the school district, with voter approval, could set aside up to 2.5% or $.22M if available, for deposit into this contingency fund.

7 Polls are open on Tuesday, March 8 th, :00am to 7:00pm In The Tom Mansfield Gym At New Boston Central School If you have any questions about the enclosed information, please contact: SAU #19 at (603) Wendy Lambert School Board Chairperson [email protected] Glen Dickey School Board Vice Chairperson [email protected]