Another try for school addition

Thursday, January 21, 2010

MILFORD — The School Board will try again this year to get approval for a four-classroom addition to Jacques School.

The project, which would give the school more space to accommodate the new public kindergarten program, received a majority vote last March but failed to get the required 60 percent majority.

School officials reviewed the kindergarten proposal and other warrant articles at a public hearing Tuesday night before a small audience.

The kindergarten article calls for the state to pay 75 percent of a $1.7 million kindergarten construction bond. Milford’s share would be $438,000, but the article is contingent on the state funding. School Board Chairman Peter Bragdon, who is a state senator, warned that funding might be cut off this year.

The kindergarten bond would have a first-year tax impact of 1 cent per $1,000 of assessed valuation, going up over the course of the remaining nine years to almost 7 cents.

During the School Board meeting that followed the public hearing, the board voted 4-1 to recommend the kindergarten bond, with Bob Willette opposed.

There were few comments or questions from the audience.

Jim Robinson of Berry Court advised school officials to make sure the new addition has enough space for future growth and to make sure school staff had input on the plans.

Bragdon said enrollment projections show relatively low growth over the next 10 years, with only 10 new first-graders entering the kindergarten/first grade school, although he said predicting growth can be tricky.

Other warrant articles include the school district’s operating budget of $35.4 million, which includes some staff hour reductions.

Bragdon said increases in the cost of employee benefits – a $7.9 million item in the new budget, an increase of $390,648 for health insurance and other benefits, – are having a significant impact on district spending.

All proposed school district spending articles, including the operating budget, the administrators’ contract and the kindergarten construction bond, would increase the local school tax rate from $13.75 to $14, a 1.8 percent increase. The 25 cent increase would amount to a $50 additional tax on a house valued at $200,000.

There is also an $82,701 article to cover the cost of a collective bargaining agreement with school administrators, and another one that would authorize a property swap to let the school district acquire a piece of land at 90 West St., north of the high school, for additional parking. Money from the proceeds of a previously authorized sale of district-owned property would pay for the lot. The School Board met in non-public session after the meeting to discuss possible changes to the cost of the land but made no decision.

The next step in the budget and bond approval process is a Deliberative Session when voters can make adjustments to the articles’ wordings and costs.

That meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 4 in the high school cafeteria at 7 p.m.

Election Day is Tuesday, March 9.

Kathy Cleveland can be reached at 673-3100 ext. 21 or kcleveland@cabinet.com.