FARMINGTON – The squabbling surrounding the proposed SAD 9 budget for the 2003-04 academic year will be cast aside on Tuesday, as the will of voters in the nine-town district will be proved at the polls.
The proposed budget has been set by directors at $21,199,979. That’s just under a 2.1 percent increase from the approved amount of $20,765,361 last year.
Major increases in set salary and insurance costs for district employees, more than $700,000, have been offset by the cutting of several positions, elimination of a bus route, a decrease in student supply money and the postponement of capital improvement projects in order to keep the total increase under $500,000.
The state will pay 56.41 percent, around $11.5 million, of the budget and the remaining 43.59 percent, or about $8.5 million, will be paid locally.
Despite finger-pointing from area residents who are part of the self-proclaimed New Vineyard School Budget Advisory Committee and who say the budget is way too high, SAD 9 actually spends $453 less that the state average to educate its 1,834 elementary students and about $92 less to educate its 938 high school students, according to Superintendent Michael Cormier.
Board members have also stressed repeatedly that they are sensitive to the bleak economy, but are feeling the pressure as state and federal mandates on education aren’t being backed up by dollars.
sdepoy@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
