Voters Approve Budgets
For RUHS, Tech Center
By Sandy Vondrasek

Voters in Braintree, Brookfield, and Randolph approved by healthy margins an $8-million Randolph Union High School budget and a $2.6-million Randolph Technical Career Center budget, in Australian balloting Tuesday.

The RUHS budget, with a 3% increase, was passed 283-180, and the tally on the RTCC budget, up 3.2%, was 305-158.

A third money article, to place $296,223 in surplus funds from RUHS’s 2006-07 budget cycle into a building fund, was approved by a three-to-one margin, 345-117.

The building fund, which has benefited from similar surplus transfers in recent years, has allowed school officials to address some of the problems in the RUHS/RTCC facility, while a bond vote on a $12-million repair project remains on hold.

The RUHS board scuttled a planned November bond vote earlier in the fall, because recent legislation (a moratorium on state aid for school construction and Act 130 provisions) would have hammered local taxpayers.

Voter turnout Tuesday, with its treacherous weather, was only slightly lower than last year. (The RUHS and RTCC budgets and another request to transfer surplus funds to the building fund were all passed, by slightly wider margins, last year).

According to Linda Nissl, Randolph’s assistant town clerk, Randolph had a 10% voter turnout, with 303 of the 3003 on the checklist voting. Braintree had a 9.4% turnout, with 78 of 830 voting; and Brookfield, just 7.3%, with 74 of 1002 casting ballots.

More Voting in March

Voters will consider their town’s respective elementary budgets, and vote for school board members, on Town Meeting Day. Randolph and Brookfield consider those items on Australian ballot, and Braintree votes on the floor.

Braintree voters will be asked to approve $1.57 million in school expenditures, a 2.28% increase.

Brookfield’s elementary budget request is down .09%, with a $1.35-million budget proposed.

Randolph’s elementary budget request is $4.43 million, a 1.57% increase.

Averaged district-wide, the Orange Southwest Supervisory Union is once again coming in with one of the lowest, or perhaps the lowest, budget increase in the state, according to Supt. Brent Kay.

Kay thanked local voters for their continuing support, following this week’s vote.

Kay noted that, across the state, school budget increases are averaging out to 4.03% this year, despite "significant unfunded mandates from the legislature," and the pressures of rising costs for fuel and other items.

Noting the ongoing emphasis in state government circles about the need to keep education costs down, Kay this week suggested that voters and legislators might better set their sights on other budget areas.

"I think that people are concerned with cost increases; I share those concerns," Kay said. "But, with education coming in at 4.03%, I think schools have done a good job keeping costs down at near the inflation rate."

Kay continued, "Education is 51% of government expenditures; the other 49% is growing at more than double the rate" (of education spending).

Getting Info Out

RUHS Principal John Holmes also extended his thanks to the community for its continuing support of the budget.

Holmes noted that only two people attended the budget information session Monday, the night before the vote.

One of those two questioned whether the system used to inform voters about the high school and tech center budget votes was adequate.

Every year, RUHS and RTCC publish an annual report to the voters, which is inserted into The Herald the week prior to the vote. Additionally, the school mails its "Parent Link" newsletter, with summary budget information, to parents and to registered voters in the three towns.

Holmes said this week that he and the board will look into alternatives, including sending the "Link" to all residents, not just voters.

Supt. Brent Kay said the solution might be to hold the high school and tech center budget votes in March, at the same time as municipal and elementary school matters are handled. The reports could be included with the town reports, and informational hearings could be held well in advance of the vote, Kay said.

Thanks to Act 130, which this year makes RUHS and other union schools their own separate districts, with their own tax rates, a March meeting might be possible, Kay said.

Previously, the RUHS/RTCC budgets were held first, so that "assessments" to the three towns for their share of RUHS/RTCC costs could be calculated and added onto the elementary budgets. Now, RUHS and RTCC will get their funds via the state education fund, so the need for an early vote is gone, Kay noted.

Kay said the district is now exploring whether the RUHS charter will legally allow for the change to a March meeting.