Last Chance For Public Input on CCS Budget
by Lynne Jaunich,CCS School Board Chair
January 12, 2012, page 7.....

With the start of the New Year comes the end of the Charlotte Central School budget season. Over the next few weeks the CCS School Board will discuss and make the final decisions on the fiscal year 2013 (FY2013) school budget, which will be voted on by the community on Town Meeting Day, March 6, 2012.
Over the past three months, the board has heard presentations on several components of the budget, including Special Education, operations and maintenance, and technology needs, as well as proposed staffing levels. Revenue projections and tax implications, based on the baseline budget, have also been presented.
With a baseline budget showing 4.57 percent increase over last year’s general fund budget, the School Board asked the administration to develop three tiers of budget reductions for board consideration. These tiers represent a range of cuts to the budget that would result in anywhere from a one percent increase in net education spending (Tier 1) to a zero percent increase in net education spending (Tier 3).
The goal of the January 10 meeting was for the board to synthesize all of the information we had received regarding our students’ educational needs as well as the potential tax implications. Our goal is to develop a FY2013 budget that provides a quality education at a price that Charlotters can afford and support. After three years of presenting flat or declining budgets, the task before us is considerable. We encourage and would appreciate the community’s input as we finalize the budget. Please attend the board meeting on January 24, which is a public hearing on the budget. After hearing from the public, we will vote on the articles to be placed on the March Town Meeting ballot. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in the CCS library. We also can be reached by e-mail at schoolboard@ccsvt.us. We look forward to hearing from you.