Sticker shock for Milford school board

Thursday, November 26, 2009

By KATHY CLEVELAND

Staff Writer

MILFORD – The School Board has asked administrators to reduce their proposed budget for next year by $1 million, a cut that might require staff reductions.

At last week’s board meeting, Chairman Peter Bragdon said the large reduction was needed “in light of the current economy,” and because school district spending over the past two years has been relatively high relative to the rate of inflation.

Earlier this month, Superintendent of Schools Bob Suprenant offered the board a preliminary $36 million spending plan for 2010-11, saying there are many increases tied to contract obligations and “place-holder” numbers for the administrators’ contract and for health insurance, because they are still unknown.

Suprenant told the board that the requested cut would definitely require staff reductions, but Bragdon suggested that there is enough attrition each year – enough staff who retire or resign from their jobs – to make layoffs unnecessary.

Prior to the vote on the $1 million reduction, the board voted unanimously for a $500,000 reduction, on a motion by Paul Dargie.

Bragdon made the next motion to add $500,000 more, to bring the cut to $1 million, and the vote was 3-2, with Bob Willette and Len Mannino agreeing with Bragdon.

“I am really concerned about the track record over the last few years,” Bragdon said, referring to 6.5 and 3.2 percent school spending increases in the past two years.

Bragdon said later that if the entire $1 million is made up of budget reductions and not revenue increases, the resulting budget “still shows a 1.4 percent increase over this year’s budget, or about $500,000.”

School officials say they are in a tight spot this year because revenue is not keeping up with expenses, including retirement system obligations that New Hampshire is passing on to the towns – in Milford’s case an additional $135,156.

Suprenant said the budget’s “wild card” is health insurance and the increase won’t be known until around Thanksgiving and a placeholder number of 10 percent is in the budget.

Without the $1 million reduction, the spending plan would mean an 84 cent increase for the local school tax rate.

Board members also talked about potential articles for the school warrant, including another try at a permanent addition to Jacques School, a new parking lot for the high school and a generator for the high school.

Bragdon said he would hesitate to ask voters for the parking lot or the generator without a corresponding reduction in the operating budget.

A four-classroom addition to Jacques failed to get the required three-fifths majority in March.