Board Signs Off on School Spending

A proposed school spending plan for next year was sent to Barrington’s number crunchers Thursday night. 

The Barrington School Committee approved unanimously a $46.18 million operating budget for next year that shows a 2.37 percent boost or $1.05 million impact on taxpayers.

The proposed budget goes now to the Committee on Appropriations next Tuesday, Feb. 26, for that board’s first look at the spending plan for FY 2013-2014.

The proposed budget is $1.46 million higher than this year. Or a 3.7 percent boost in spending. 

The budget, of course, is still 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.

The budget also reflects boosts in pension payments for teachers from 14.01 to 14.86 percent and for non-certified staff from 8.16 to 8.92 percent, and it shows an approximate 8 percent increase in medical insurance premiums, said Ron Tarro, finance director.

State aid for next year is estimated at $984,000, said Tarro. Money to be spent on technology will be $275,000. 

The budget also reflects an increase for transportation and special education and it includes about $125,000 to $140,000 for expenses to begin implementing the Common Core State Standards for the curriculum. 

For the first time, Tarro said, the budget also inclues some historical data based on a state model that gives the appropriations committee members additional information to chew on as they go line item by line item through the proposed spending plan.

Overall, salaries and benefits make up about 87 percent of the budget with contractual, operational and mandated services upping that percentage to about 97 percent of all proposed spending.