A virtual public hearing on the Town Government and Elementary School budgets for FY2020-2021 is scheduled for June 10 at 7PM. The meeting identification and passcode will be included on the agenda to be posted at Town Hall and on the Town website so that citizens can participate in the hearing electronically. This is the first year that taxpayers will not be able to approve the spending plans at the Annual Town Meeting or at referendum. Per the Governor’s Executive Orders, the Board of Finance, the Town’s fiscal authority, must approve both budgets this year due to the pandemic and consequent restrictions on large crowds.
Per the executive order, regional school districts were responsible for approving their own budgets, and RD #11 adopted theirs at an April 28 meeting with a $62,231, or .97% increase over last year. The budget represents a $16,720, or 1.12% increase to Hampton’s assessment, which is based on the number of students attending Parish Hill Middle/High School from each of the sending towns.
The finance board voted 4-2 to approve an elementary school budget level with last year’s appropriation at a May 13 meeting. Seven letters from residents, and several parents who participated in the meeting electronically, voiced their support for the budget the school adopted, which represented a 3.99% increase. But a vote to approve the proposal failed, 2-4. In deciding on a level budget, board members pointed to the economic ramifications of the pandemic both to taxpayers and to the town. Diane Gagnon spoke of the educational and financial uncertainties facing communities, Kathi Newcombe reminded members that the Town expects an additional 20% reduction in State funding this year, and Kathy Donahue reported that the State is predicting a $2billion deficit, which will adversely affect grant revenue in the future.
The town’s history of referenda on school budgets also figured into the decision. Member Perry Matchinis said he spoke for the 1100 voters who were unable to attend the meeting and are unable to vote this year, noting that, with the exception of one year, taxpayers for the last decade have only approved spending plans that were level with, or less than, the preceding year. Ms. Newcombe stated that, because taxpayers cannot vote this year, the Board of Finance is their “last line of defense”.
Though member Ed Adelman argued that there’s ample support for educational spending among townspeople, many parents who spoke accused Hampton taxpayers of not caring about education, a notion furthered by member Nick Brown who reminded members that the town is spending less on education than was spent in 2012. He concurred with the parents who stated that families are leaving because they feel the town is not spending enough on education. But most of the board members, armed with research, took exception with that characterization. Ms. Newcombe stated that taxpayer support for education is evident in the town’s $25,640 per-pupil costs, compared to the State average of $17,438, noting that Hampton ranks 8th highest in the State for educational spending. Ms. Donahue reported that the ratio of instructional staff to students is 4.5: 1, as compared to the State average of 12:1. And Mr. Matchinis stated that the school’s reports to the State Department of Education reveal that Full Time Equivalent staff for 2001 was 25.8 for a population of 182 students, while in 2018-2019, the FTE was 26.5 for a student population of 90.
Spending was not the only consideration. Board members were surprised to discover that first and second graders, students in grades three and four, and fifth and sixth graders were not grouped together, as was the plan presented at the start of the school year. Multi-aged groupings were developed for the school due to decreases in population that resulted in 7-12 students per grade, which was viewed as an unhealthy cohort, socially and academically. Though school board Chairman Rose Bisson identified multi-aged groupings as the best model for the school, she said the school community “was not yet ready” to implement the program in spite of professional development totaling $120,000 in the last two years. Superintendent Frank Olah affirmed that staffing with a level budget could fund one teacher per multi-aged classroom, and one additional teacher to provide services in each of those classrooms for children in need of additional assistance.
It was smooth sailing for the approval of the Town Government budget at a May 20 meeting, with the boards of Finance and Selectmen consulting and concurring on the various line items. Town departments were frugal with their requests, and most of the capital accounts were not funded this year, a practice during difficult economic times in prior years. First Selectman Allan Cahill said the Selectmen were employing a “minimalist approach” this year, assuring members that the town’s roads and infrastructure are in “good shape”. It was decided that, if a major purchase becomes necessary, money from the General Fund could be transferred, or a loan could be secured as rates are at an all-time low.
With Hampton’s assessment for RD#11 at $1,512,507, the elementary school budget at $2,104,318, and the Town Government at $1,657,995, the overall FY2020-21 budget proposal is $5,274,820. The budget will be finalized, and the mill rate set, after Town officials present their budgets and the public presents their views at the Public Hearing.