ConVal voters to consider $56.1M budget proposal at Tuesday's deliberative session

The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at ConVal Regional High School in Peterborough, where voters will finalize the warrant before voting the articles up or down at the polls in March. The ConVal district covers Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Peterborough, Sharon and Temple.

The proposed 2023-24 budget includes an operating budget of $53,819,282 along with $2.287 million for programs funded by federal dollars, according to the ConVal School Board. The $53.8 million operating budget proposal is up $718,246, or 1.35 percent, over the current year.

If the budget proposal fails at the polls next month, a default budget of $54,744,674 would take effect.

In addition to the budget, ConVal’s warrant asks if voters will appropriate money to a variety of trust funds, drawing from any unassigned fund balance at the end of the current school year. These requests include: $500,000 to the building capital reserve fund, $125,000 to the energy trust fund, $75,000 to the technology trust fund and $25,000 each to the equipment and health maintenance trust funds.

A separate article seeks an additional $250,000 for the building capital reserve fund. If approved, that amount would be in addition to the $500,000 from the previous warrant article, and also would come from unassigned fund balance at the end of the current fiscal year.

Under the current budget proposal, the district would need to raise $41,369,716 in local property taxes for the 2023-24 school year. That’s up $1,538,293, or 3.86 percent, over the current year, according to the school board. In a written explanation of the budget posted on the district’s website, the board said it recognizes this will increase the education portion of property taxes in the district.

“We all would prefer that they go down — we’re taxpayers too,” the board wrote. “But we must also address the needs [of] our students. That’s our primary responsibility. We think that the proposed Budget (Warrant Article 1) is a very modest increase given the current inflationary environment.”

To view the full warrant, visit bit.ly/3WWSXJ0.

In addition to the warrant, voters in March will elect six members to the 13-member ConVal School Board. The ballot will feature one school board seat each in Antrim (for a three-year term), Bennington (for one year), Francestown (for three years), Hancock (for two years) and Peterborough (for three years).

Polls will be open on voters Tuesday, March 14 in the town of their residence.