Barlow Budget Request at 2.59%

, superintendent of schools, requested a 2.59 percent budget increase for for the 2012-2013 school year at the Region 9 Board of Education's meeting last week. If approved, the request of $561,139 would bring the budget for the high school to $22.26 million.

"Key budget drivers are expected higher health insurance, energy and transportation costs," Mark Lewis, vice chairman of the board, told Patch. "Transportation costs are expected to rise due to the higher cost of diesel fuel and a larger number of special ed bus runs. Other areas of the budget including special ed and salaries are not a big factor this year."

Some of the goals of Josefsberg's budget proposal include to sustain excellence, to evolve curriculum and to balance school needs with taxpayer interests.

If the Redding (1.84 percent increase), Easton (2.91 percent increase) and Region 9 budget proposals are all approved, due to changes in enrollment, Easton's overall budget would increase by 0.83 percent while Redding's share would increase by 3.61 percent, according to Josefsberg.

Lewis said the request "is the lowest in recent memory" and the board will consider some options to reduce the increase to closer to two percent. 

"The budget was well received by the board but the administration was asked to present scenarios in the 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent range at the next meeting as the starting point for the deliberations," Lewis said.

The board meets tomorrow, March 7, at 7 p.m. at the high school for its first budget workshop.