BY ROD HANSEN
Voters can let their voices be heard on a number of topics facing the John Stark School District and the deliberative session of School District Meeting.
The meeting is scheduled for the John Stark Regional High School Gymnasium on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m., where voters can amend and discuss the articles slated for a vote in March.
An $11.8 million operating budget and a new contract with the school support staff are two of the items on the warrant this year.
This year’s budget marks a $126,628 increase over the default budget, which comprises last year’s amount plus adjustments for previous obligations.
The budget increases result mainly from hikes in payroll and special education costs, said district business administrator James Crane.
The district’s special education instruction line item has increased by $248,000 this year, while transportation costs have increased by approximately $80,000. Most of the transportation increases can be traced to special education students transferring from Weare Middle School to John Stark High School, Crane said.
Another warrant article seeks approval of a new three-year contract with John Stark support staff. The article includes a $58,077 increase in salary and benefits for the coming year, and has support from the school board.
The school’s water and septic systems are the subject of a warrant article that regularly appears on the ballot, Crane said.
That article requests that 50 percent of district surplus up to $15,000 be placed in a fund established in 1996 for the purpose of maintaining the school’s water and septic systems.
Funds accumulated through the warrant article will help replace money used to re-drill an existing well approximately a year ago, Crane said. The money will also help to build a leach field in the future, a cost Crane said could run up to $50,000. Although design work has been done on the project, construction costs have not yet been estimated.
The state retirement system also accounts for hikes in district costs, Crane said. The retirement system now makes up 5.8 percent of teacher payroll expenses, up from 3.7 percent last year, Crane said.
Ballot voting for the district is set for Tuesday, March 13, at Center Woods Elementary School in Weare from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.