Voters Say “No” Again to the
CCS Budget
by Nancy Wood
April 8, 2010, page 1

The CCS revised school budget failed by a wide margin on April 6, with 270 (44%) in favor and 347 (56%) opposed. The earlier proposal was defeated on Town Meeting day by a vote of 524-568.

Voting had been steady throughout the day, with 618 people casting their ballots by 7 p.m. Within a half hour of the polls closing, the ballots were counted by a small group of election officials in the CCS cafeteria. Moe Harvey carried the results upstairs to the library where the School Board was meeting. When he announced results, the room went silent and someone was heard to say, “You’re kidding.” The stunned board returned to the evening’s business and were not immediately available for comment.

Oliver and Gayle Gardner arrived to vote at 6:30 p.m. Oliver said, “Everyone I know has told me I have to come and vote against the budget.” Gayle said she was, “of the same opinion. We have to get a handle on spending.”

Another vote will have to be scheduled. According to Chair Lynne Jaunich at an earlier meeting, if a budget isn’t passed by June 30, the next fiscal year will start with a budget of up to 87% of the last passed budget.

Attendance had been light at the information meetings held by the School Board in advance of the revote, and were notable for comments about the need to reduce spending and property taxes, and there were continuing questions about the need for two co-principals. The board had countered that concern with new information that the cost for two principals would be only $3,000 more than prior administrative staffing.

The CCS School Board had cut $57,312 from the defeated budget, in response to the negative vote at Town Meeting. The revised budget of $7,062,271 was 2.4% less than both the current and the prior year budgets and included significant cuts of close to $400,000 out of operating and transportation expenses. It included new spending in debt service for the first $167,000 payment on the $2.8 million reconstruction bond.

With the revised budget the CCS residential tax rate would have been $.9501. Even with the 2.4% reduction from the current year budget, the residential tax rate for CCS would have increased 6.3%. When blended with the CVU rate the residential increase would have been 5.7%.

These rates are based on assumptions made in December that the statewide tax rates would increase 2.2 cents. This could change. The budget passed by the House holds the rates at the same level as this year. If approved by the Legislature and Governor, the increase in residential education property taxes in Charlotte (for CCS and CVU combined) would have been 3.3%, instead of 5.7%.

The non-residential tax rate for education in Charlotte is expected to increase either 2.22% or .73%, depending on final action by the Legislature. It is not affected by the local school budget.