SAD 46 budget passes easily in public forum

 DEXTER — The School Administrative District 46 budget passed easily with little debate at the June 4 public forum.

 Only around 40 residents showed up at Ridge View Community School for the session which was over in less than an hour. However, final approval is contingent on the results of a secret ballot referendum in the four member towns on June 9.

 The $13.12 million budget is $55,483 or .43 percent less than last year but the local share is up by $103,771. That’s because the state’s share of costs is down by $274,351, according to Superintendent Kevin Jordan. “There seems to be a continued expectation at the state level that local taxpayers are going to pick up more of the cost of education,” he said.

 However, due to several factors – including the lack of debt service and a decrease in health insurance premiums – the district was able to “hold the line” on the budget, said the superintendent.

 The 1.8 percent Anthem Blue Cross premium reduction was a pleasant surprise, said Jordan and was based on less usage of the benefits. “That’s coming off a zero increase last year,” he said.

 There were also a few staff additions this year, although the district has 19 fewer employees than it did six years ago.

 The new positions include a half-time school nurse, a special ed tech, mechanic and one-fifth time curriculum coordinator.

 One of the reasons for the additional nursing position “is the number of students with Type 2 diabetes who need shots multiple times a day,” Jordan said.

 A special education tech position was added because three incoming kindergarten students “will require one-on-one aides in their classes.”

 Jordan said that the board also recommended the reinstatement of the social worker’s position at Dexter Regional High School. “There are some students who have considerable emotional and social needs,” Jordan said.

 After Reggie Palmer was elected moderator, all 18 articles on the warrant passed easily with only a few negative votes.

 The question on the $154,056 in additional local funds, which required a written ballot, passed 37-2.

 Local residents will also go to the polls for a second time this month to decide whether to accept the town of Athens into AOS 94, which includes all of the SAD 46 communities plus the town of Harmony.

 After Athens residents voted to withdraw from Madison-based SAD 59 a few years ago, Athens Community School has been operating under an interlocal agreement on a year-to-year basis with AOS 94 for transportation, special education, insurance and other administrative functions.

 Jordan said that if voters approve Athens’ admission into AOS 94, it will save taxpayers in all member communities “a significant amount of money.”