$633,000 Amendment to School Budget -- Estimate for Full-Day K -- Submitted

As anticipated, an amendment to add $633,000 to the proposed Barrington School Budget next year has been filed in the Town Clerk’s office.

The amendment does not tie the request to a specific expenditure, but $633,000 is the estimate for adding full-day kindergarten in Barrington in September. 

The amendment was submitted by Amy Morton, of 289 Waseca Ave., on Tuesday, May 14. That’s one day in advance of last Wednesday’s deadline of five business days before the town meeting on May 22. The amendment is dated May 14.

If approved at the town meeting, the additional cash would add 23 cents to the tax rate, said Dean Huff, Barrington’s finance director, making the new rate $18.43 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

For a home assessed at $350,000, the additional 23 cents would add approximately $80 to that tax bill.

The amendment also was submitted despite despite Superintendent Michael Messore’s recommendation to the School Committee last week not to add the full-day kindergarten program until next year.

The School Committee had not made a decision on all-day K going into its meeting tonight, May16. School Committee member Scott Fuller would prefer to wait until next year. The other four members -- Robert Shea Jr., Kate Brody, Patrick Guida and Paula Dominguez --appear to be leaning in favor of adding the program in September.

All-day kindergarten is on tonight's agenda for additional discussion and a possible vote.

An attempt to reach Morton was unsuccessful Thursday afternoon.