Springfield budget proposes 15 percent increase for schools
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By Josh O'Gorman Herald Staff - Published: January 7, 2009
SPRINGFIELD — Homeowners would see the school portion of their tax rate rise nearly 15 percent with the proposed 2009-10 budget for Springfield School District.
District Financial Services Director Steve Hier presented a report to the School Board Monday night that illustrated how the budget as proposed by administration would raise the education portion of the residential tax rate 17.87 cents per $100 of assessed value, from $1.1963 to $1.375. The change is a 14.9-percent increase.
The taxes on a residence valued at $150,000 would increase from $1,794.45 to $2,062.50. A property owner with a home assessed at $200,000 would see his or her taxes rise more than $350 annually, from $2,392.60 to $2,750.
These figures are based upon the current base education tax rate of 87 cents and not the 85 cents recommended by Tax Commissioner Thomas Pelham on Dec. 29.
Much of the budget increase is due to debt service on the $32.8 million bond voters approved November 2006. That debt payment of $1,462,491 makes up most of the proposed budget increase.
The year's proposed budget of $25,866,667 is $2,383,663, or 10.2 percent, more than the current budget of $23,483,004. Without the debt payment, the budget is increasing 3.9 percent, or $921,663, from $23,483,004 to $24,404,667.
Because of Act 82, which caps the maximum amount a budget can increase and still be presented to voters in a single article, the budget as proposed will be presented to voters in three parts. The first article, $23,594,302, is the maximum the district can ask for in a single article. The majority of the second article, $1,611,008, is payment for the bond. The third article, $611,008, is payment to the River Valley Technical Center, which became its own district in 2007.
"What we would be voting on in the second article is what we've already agreed to," said Vice-Chairwoman Jeanice Garfield.
Board member Sam Coleman disagreed.
"I know the majority of voters agreed to pay off the bond, I don't think anybody anticipated the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression," Coleman said.
Coleman said it is irresponsible to add new positions with the debt payment due. Of the $921,172 increase in the operating budget, more than one-third comes from new positions, such as two new world language teachers for the elementary and middle schools, each budgeted for $66,472.
Lisa Hall, one of three members of the budget advisory committee, said the board and administration should look to cut the budget further.
"We have to accept Act 82, and we should take this as an opportunity to discuss how we're going to reduce the budget," Hall said. "To be true to the spirit of that legislation we need to discuss how we can reduce spending."
There will be additional Board meetings to discuss the budget Thursday, Monday and Jan. 15. All meetings start at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in room B118 of the River Valley Technical Center.
Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.
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