CLAREMONT — A proposed Claremont School District budget of $35.86 million budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 represents an increase of more than $1.1 million, or 3.1%, from the current year.

Most of the increase is for the first year of a two-year teachers’ contract that provides a 3.25% pay increase along with annual step increases for the Sugar River Teachers Association, the union representing the district’s teachers.

Assistant Superintendent and Director of Finance and Operations Richard Seaman presented the budget to the board at Wednesday’s meeting.

Seaman said the budget increase along with a reduction in non-tax revenues of $270,000, brings the projected school tax rate to $25.84 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Seaman said 35 cents of that increase is for the second year of contracts with four collective bargaining units that were approved by voters last year.

The current school tax rate that was set late last year by the Department of Revenue Administration is $22.79, which combines the local school tax rate and state education rate. If the budget is adopted as proposed, it would add $490 in school taxes to a property assessed at $160,000.

Other increases in the budget include $321,000, or 32%, at the Sugar River Technical Center for two new teachers and two new programs, and $1.3 million, or 18%, at Stevens High School. The middle school budget shows a decrease of almost $800,000, or more than 13%.

Another area that saw a sharp increase was for maintenance, which is up 10.4%. Seaman said he estimated energy costs rising about 60%.  

Some other minor decreases include out-of-district special education ($10,000), Pre-K ($69,000) and technology investments ($78,000).

On the revenue side, Seaman estimates tuition will remain the same at $790,000 and the district will use a projected surplus of $400,000 from the current budget to offset some of the tax rate increase. The adequate education grant is projected to drop almost $700,000, but the state property tax will raise an additional $420,000 so the net loss in revenue is about $270,000.

The default budget, which would be adopted if the proposed budget fails, is $38.11 million and carries a total school tax rate of $24.22.

It was emphasized at Wednesday’s board meeting that cutting the proposed budget to be more in line with the default budget would not change a roughly $1 million between the two because the default budget does not include the teachers’ contract.

The budget will be presented at a public hearing on Tuesday beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Sugar River Valley Technical Center.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

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