Dear Editor,
I am writing to request your support of the Springfield School District 2023 budget. The school board and budget committee spent several meetings reviewing the capital and operating budgets, asking questions, having discussions, and unanimously approving the school budget being sent to voters. The greatest potential for the future of our community lies with the education of our students. These students will be our future leaders, business owners, and more importantly, community members.
I want to recognize that this year the school district has been plagued with a lack of bus drivers. This has led to several bus routes not running. Rest assured that the school district and the taxpayers are refunded each time a bus route does not run. This refunded money will be part of the operating surplus that we will see at the end of this fiscal or school year.
The warning article for the budget reads: Shall the voters of the Springfield Town School District approve the School Board to spend THIRTY FIVE MILLION, SIX HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED FORTY SEVEN and 00/100 DOLLARS ($ 35,650,947.00), which is the amount the school board has determined to be necessary for the ensuing fiscal year.
Even though this is my fifth year on the board, this number is still shocking to me. Why is it so much? Keep in mind that, due to the education funding formula, the Springfield property tax portion is only $7,698,503, or about 21% of that total amount. The Vermont Education Fund, as well as various federal monies makes up the rest of the total. Each dollar that you pay out of pocket in school tax, the State will give the Springfield schools an additional $3.75. This is a value that is hard to beat for our students’ education.
The Vermont State Education fund comprises: 100% of your sales and use tax, 33% of your gas tax, 33% of your diesel tax, 25% of your meals and room tax, and 100% of your lottery purchases. These taxes will be spent on other areas of the state if not spent in Springfield.
Each year there are two competing questions we have as a school board: How do we reduce the budget while simultaneously trying to improve student learning, test scores, and our school rating? That, of course, is the thirty-five-million-dollar question. The board uses data driven analysis to inform decisions on both funding and staffing. Our top goals are to increase literacy and math proficiency as well as to improve family engagement.
There are a lot of factors in the school budget that are controlled at the state level. Special education laws and funding are set at the federal and state level. Special education costs account for roughly 30% of our operating budget. The health insurance benefits are negotiated at the state level and not at the local level, leaving us no control over those costs. These are two of the biggest cost drivers. Rising fuel costs and overall inflation contribute to this as well.
This past year (FY22), we ended with a $350,000 surplus surplus. This surplus will be applied to this budget to lower the local school tax rate. The board has also voted to use $200,000 dollars from the tax stabilization fund to also lower the local school tax rate. This benefits all community members.
The School District predicts that our homestead education tax rate will increase about $.04 per $100 of property value. That is a 3% increase over last year. This amount is less than inflation.
I ask that you consider voting yes for the school budget to enable the district to give our students the education that they deserve. Please reach out to any board member with questions about the budget, we are here to support the community members. All of our contact information is listed on the district website. If we do not have the answer to your question, we will get back to you with the information. You can also email budgetquestion@ssdvt.org. Please ask questions. An informed vote is the best vote.
Sincerely,
Troy Palmer
Springfield School Board Director