Proposed School Spending Up 3.7%
Barrington School Committee sees a proposed budget for next year that boosts local property taxes about $1 million or 2.37 percent.
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The Barrington School Committee got a look at a proposed operating budget for next year that shows a 2.37 percent boost or $1.05 million hike in local property taxes.
The budget is still very much a work in progress because of contract negotiations with the teachers’ union – although an estimated amount for salaries and benefits is already built into the budget.
As presented by Ron Tarro, finance director, on Thursday night, the new proposed budget is $46.128 million or about $1.45 million more than the current budget. That is a 3.7 percent hike.
An increase of approximately $1.138 million is estimated for additional compensation for all employees. That leaves an estimated $310,000 for other operating expenses.
Tarro explained that the budget has been put together so far by taking into account the goals of the new Strategic Plan, including School Committee priorities, all-day kindergarten, and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. He described it as a “zero-based budget” built from the ground up and by comparing staffing levels to specialized programs.
The major budget categories are salaries and benefits (approximately 87 percent of the budget), special education, curriculum implementation, transportation, utilities and maintenance of facilities.
Approximately 97 percent of the budget, Tarro said, is "committed to contractual, operational and mandated services."
Still to be determined, he said, are changes in full-time equivalent (FTE) positions for kindergarten, a middle school eighth-grade class and a possible Sowams School second-grade class.
Tarro said he could not answer in public specific questions about certain aspects of the budget, such as the amount built into the spending plan for new teacher salaries and benefits while negotiations are underway. He is a member of the negotiating team.
School Committee member Scott Fuller said he recognized that certain budget aspects have to remain behind closed doors right now. But, he said, he wants the budget-creation process to be as transparent as possible for taxpayers.
“I don’t want to get to May 10,” he said, without knowing what taxpayers can expect on the eve of the Financial Town Meeting.
James
6:57 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
2013 is a property tax reassessment year correct? I can't see property values rising since the last reassessment - is Barrington planning for this reduction in tax revenue?
Gary Morse
8:17 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
The mil rate will simply be adjusted higher at the Financial Town meeting (e.g. from $18 to $20) which is almost certain because few town residents actually show up to vote other than those who will benefit.
JANE DIAS
7:58 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
They need to stop! We already pay hefty taxes and our road in west Barrington are a disgrace. The schools need to make cuts, not add more financial burden on the town residents.
Manifold Witness
9:09 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
Wow. An increase of $486 per student.
The census is down, down, down, but the spending is up, up, up.
In doing the job that the taxpayers pay him to do, School CFO, Mr. Tarro should be able to sufficiently answer specific questions as to what is in the budget that he presented at the public meeting.
October 2013 school census estimated – 3356.
Proposed Budget: $46,128,000.
$13,745. per student.
October 2012 – 3370.
Budget $44,678,000.
$13,259 per student.
February 2013 enrollment - 3356
October 2012 census - 3370
October 2011 census - 3429
October 2010 census - 3498
Number of Students Enrolled at 2/14/13 is 3356:
Barrington HS – 1039
Middle School – 814
HMS –573
Nayatt – 338
Primrose –340
Sowams – 252
Barrington is scheduled for a 2014 revaluation. It is a full revaluation, not a statistical update.
http://www.muni-info.state.ri.us/documents/finances/other_information/Municipal%20Reval%20Schedule%202005-2018.pdf
Lorraine F
9:28 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
This budget does not appear to include costs for the full time kindergarten infrastructure changes, estimated at $1.3 million for construction of three classrooms.
http://barrington.patch.com/articles/all-day-k-back-on-school-board-agenda
In the moment
11:51 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
stop.the.madness. Need vs want is out of control in this town. The reason people don't show up at the FTM is fear of reprisal, and that won't change until voting method changes.
Fred Diel
5:00 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
In the Moment
What do you mean fear of reprisal?
If we all stand together they should fear us
They want us to be fearful like sheep
Fred Diel
5:02 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Anyone can make a motion for a paper ballot.
D'Errico
5:04 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Please hold the line on new taxes.Retired people find it difficult to pay more while their income doesn't increase but their food and medical expenses do.
Manifold Witness
6:05 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Silly waste of time
& crafty madness.
Financial Town Meeting
& a Master Lever.
Barrington government.
Years of planning.
The current political environment.
It's a go!
Import 150 "affordable" kids.
FAST.
Palmer Point.
Prop up school census.
Justify the budget.
State law is to address LOCAL need?
Ha! Bring ‘em in from out-of-town.
“Non-affordable” taxpayers
are a bottomless pit of rich.
"Non-affordable" taxpayers?
Subsidize "affordable" developers.
Pay a full-time Planner
to get Block Grant money for developers
Other towns don't do that.
Trust money wrongly grabbed
to "benefit persons" (developers).
Instead of “helping poor people”,
as Mr. Spencer said.
"Non-affordable" taxpayers get to subsidize
the "affordable" taxes (and big school costs)
& more municipal services –
police, recreation staff & a "budget", etc.
See Police Cove Fantasy Land
& Municipal Court, Judge, etc,
on the way,
for fun & “convenience”.
A plastic bag ban enacted - sales down?
So commercial property tax down? Yours up?
No reval standards
(though required by a court settlement agreement & state law!).
Slave labor
to clear town sidewalks.
Oh,
how far over
we’ve come.
All part of the “affordable” plan.
FTM voters (mostly union teachers).
Rich pensions.
“Retire” to other jobs.
Retire again.
Florida!
Madness?
Oh, no.
It’s what the voters want.
Obama tells me so.
Manifold Witness
1:55 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013
NECAP scores down again. School officials scratching still.
Test scores dropped last year, too. Officials were scratching their heads.
See -
http://barrington.patch.com/articles/necap-scores-always-room-to-grow
What’s going on here?
The expenses are going up, up, up.
The census is going down, down, down. (But the LMI % up.)
And now the NECAP Scores are down – again (please see the links, below).
RIDE tracks 3 “Special” subsets of NECAP Scores – one is LMI students. Barrington's scores are down substantially for both reading proficiency & math proficiency.
What is the census projected for the 2012/2013 budget year? Because a straight line, “same store” census projection results in a substantial census decrease which results in an even greater “per pupil” cost increase than is calculated in the earlier comment.
Please show us the projected census- by school, grade & total. Show your work.
;-)
Why are the NECAP scores going down so significantly (see drops in both reading proficiency & math proficiency)?
http://www.eastbayri.com/news/barrington-elementary-schools-necap-scores-drop/
Here’s the data:
http://www.ride.ri.gov/assessment/DOCS/NECAP/Reports_Results/10.2012/Fall_2012_RI_NECAP_Results_Public_Report.pdf
See earlier “Patch” article about the things that are included in the proposed school budget
:
http://barrington.patch.com/articles/barrington-enrollment-down-budget-up
What’s going on here?