Shall the School District raise and appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately, the amounts set forth on the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling $29,515,058? Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be $29,209,115 which is the same as last year, with certain adjustments required by previous action of the School District or by law; or the governing body may hold one special meeting, in accordance with RSA 40:13, X and XVI, to take up the issue of a revised operating budget only. (Majority vote required.)
What it means: The FY 2022-23 Winnacunnet Cooperative School District Proposed Operating Budget is $29,515,058. This reflects an increase of +2.6% or a +$744,390 increase from the 2021-22 budget. The proposed budget is +1.04% or an increase of $305,943 above the default budget. Budget drivers, according to a presentation at the Deliberative session are increases in salaries, transportation and retirement; and a decrease in Special Education tuition costs as follows:
Salaries – Certified Staff: +$365,360; Contractual cost of living adjustment (COLA) and step increases for certified teachers as part of the SEA collective bargaining agreement.
Transportation: +$78,136; Transportation services for special education and regular, daily routes.
Retirement/FICA: +$137,265; The New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) employer contribution of 21.02% for teachers and 14.06% for employees and the FICA contribution of 7.65%.
Special Education -Tuition: -$198,652; Elimination of out of district placement for students requiring special services.
Hampton is responsible for 47.4% of SAU 21’s appropriations.
Those in favor say: There were both increased and decreased expense items that affected the operating budget for SAU 21 this year. The Board and staff worked hard to keep expenses reasonable for taxpayers.
Fiscal Impact: Using the example of a home valued at $400,000, adoption of the Proposed Operating Budget for SAU 21 will cause an increase in taxes of $36.70 versus last year. Take your property valuation divided by 1000 and multiplied by .092 to get the tax impact for your property (if Article 1 passes). If Article 1 fails, the Default Budget will cost the homeowner with a $400,000 valuation $21.61. These numbers are based on Hampton’s share of the total.