WOLCOTT – The Wolcott School budget successfully passed 182 to 104, in the third round of voting, June 11, at the town offices. At and since town meeting day, residents had voted down the last two proposed budgets. The second school budget vote that took place Tuesday, April 28, failed in a close vote, with 150 voting no and 140 voting yes on that $6.14 million budget proposal.
OSSU Superintendent Dr. David Baker said “I know that the board is relieved that the budget passed. It was important because the governor’s appropriation for tax relief was dependent on all budgets passing. I think the board did a good job communicating and I think that Wolcott always returns to the tradition of supporting their public school. We learned a lot of lessons for the next budget cycle. Hopefully we can apply them next year.”
Town Clerk Belinda Harris Clegg provided some insight as to why the budget reached a third vote.
Area residents had concerns in regards to their taxes, “People were worried about a 30-cent per hundred dollar assessed value increase in taxes, which would’ve been $300 per hundred thousand of value in a property in Wolcott. ” The current budget reduced the cost to $240 per hundred thousand, with a decrease to 24-cents, Clegg explained. Moreover, if this budget had not passed they would have had to borrow up to 87% of last year’s budget to cover costs in the meantime. The current law dictates that if a district does not have an adopted budget by June 30, then the district has to borrow money while they continue to warn votes.
In a letter penned by school board chair Elliot Waring, secondary tuition costs were cited as a driving factor behind this year’s budget. According to the News & Citizen, after the state increased the tuition cap for accepting schools last year, Wolcott’s rate increased by more than $400,000, or $4,000 to $5,000 per student. The board reduced the tuition line item by $134,000 in the second version of the budget.
Waring further detailed the most recent version of the budget, expressing a level of discontent with the cuts. “The current budget drops taxes by another one cent by eliminating a part-time position as well as cutting the budget to buy new books for the school library by $3,000. Our budget was already incredibly sparse but the taxpayers asked for a smaller budget and these are the only areas where there’s even the slightest room to move. These cuts were not taken lightly by the board. We are at a point of diminishing returns with any cuts to the budget. Yes, taxes will go down, but we’re also doing irreparable damage to the school and what we are able to offer to our learners.”
Raymonda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.
