The Fayston School Board delivered a 2016-2017 budget with a minimal 0.7 percent increase over this year’s budget.
On January 19, the Fayston School Board finalized a 2016-2017 budget to be brought to voters on Town Meeting Day. The budget was for $1,774,780, representing a 0.7 percent increase in expenditures over the current year. Last year’s budget was $1,761,939.
Owing to a decrease in equalized pupils of 3.3 percent, that budget translates to $15,460 in education spending per equalized pupil, a 1.3 percent increase over the current year when equalized pupil spending was $15,260. The expenditures come in under the Fayston School spending cap established by Act 46, which was 1.43 percent. That 1.43 percent increase translates to equalized per pupil spending of $15, 477, an increases of $218 per student. The proposed budget increase equalized per student spending by $215.
“To realize an increase of only 0.7 percent, despite contractual increases in salary and benefit costs (health care costs went up 7.9 percent and salaries went up 3.2 percent), the Fayston School Board reduced a level service budget by over $88,000, eliminating its usual $20,000 contribution to reserves, applying last year’s $20,000 Contingency Reserve to this year’s revenues, and eliminating a highly valued literacy specialist position,” said principal Jean Berthiaume.
Eliminating the 0.06 FTE (full-time equivilent) literary specialist position resulted in a reduction of $47,000.
"The Fayston School Board felt it was very important to taxpayers that we come in under the current spending caps, as their modification or elimination is uncertain. We faced very difficult decisions this budget season, but feel the budget we prepared for our voters reflects careful consideration of the future of our school, the interests of our students and the financial burden that falls to our taxpayers,” Heidi Spear noted.
"We heard considerable testimony on the value of our literacy specialist position and we regret losing this extraordinary resource. Confronting the realities of increased labor costs, declining enrollment and the absence of this position in other Valley schools, the board determined the reduction was preferable to reducing integrated arts programming or combining classes and exceeding recommended class sizes. We believe that the expert literacy support and consulting our teachers have enjoyed over the past 14 years, our small class sizes and the continued availability of specialized literacy interventions as needed ensures Fayston School will continue to offer exceptional education resources to our students,” Spear added.
Berthiaume noted that the budget actually expands the preschool program for two full days and will include 3-year-old children.
"At the December board meeting, the board was pleased with the work and recommendation of the Fayston Early Education Committee to expand the preschool program for two full days and to include 3-year-old children in our 4-year old program. This was a cost-neutral proposal as we already budget for 3-year-old children and pay out to partnership programs/schools. Having 3-year-old students start here secures the likelihood that students will remain here. In addition, the expanded day may attract more families looking for more than the 10 hours a week afforded to them by the state,” he added.
