School District Gives Positive Budgetary Update

The school district delivered positive news to residents on Oct. 17 when it reported that a $562,786 budget surplus will reduce the tax bill for residents.

The impact, according to School Business Administrator Adam Steel, will be about $100 to a Windham home valued at $350,000.

Board member Michelle Farrell clarified that the school board is not inflating the budget.

Steel said that a good part of the surplus came from excess revenues.

"We had $184,000 came from excess revenues," he said. "We have to anticipate what our revenues will be for the year (and) I always anticipate conservatively."

According to Steel, the surplus comes out to 1.3 percent.

Construction on the kindergarten wrapped up this summer, and Steel said that the official paperwork wrap-up will take place in the next month or so.

The project came in at a $90,000 surplus, but given that several items were cut out of the project, the district will look at options as to how to use the surplus to go back into the project.

Board member Michael Joanis added that he would like to see feedback halfway through the heating season to see how those costs are hashing out.

The food service deficit was also reduced from $47,896 to $14,951. Steel said that the outsourcing of a full-time secretarial position and a federal regulation requiring the district to increase meal prices at all schools are the reason for the reduction.