By Michelle Kim

Voters will see a proposed operating budget of approximately $10 million on the school district warrant at the February deliberative session.

The Finance Committee unanimously approved the School Board’s 2008-09 $10,164,341 proposed operating budget at their Jan. 5 meeting.

The proposed operating budget represents about a 6 percent increase over the 2007-08 budget and is only 0.2 percent over the default level of $10,141,612.

A public budget hearing on Jan. 9 saw no public comment and wrapped after 10 minutes. No other warrant articles, besides the operating budget and the election of new school district positions, were presented at the hearing.

“I’d say it’s an adequate budget and meets the needs of the kids,” said New Boston Central School Principal Rick Matthews.

More than 60 percent of new increases represent fixed costs, pointed out Matthews.

The other 30 percent of new expenditures include the addition of special education teacher and two special eduction paraprofessionals, as well as a $30,000 “mobile laboratory,” a cart of laptops with programs that teachers can use to supplement their classes. Matthews said the school has one mobile laboratory that is in constant demand.

The New Boston Central School, which currently has 551 students, anticipates an enrollment of 571 for the new school year.

Though the district had considered the idea of expanding NBCS and adding on grades 7 and 8, an architectural survey concluded that would not be feasible.

Matthews also pointed out the budget was built around an assumption of receiving the same level of adequacy funding as the 2007-08 year.