The School District has several Warrant Articles for the voters to consider this year. I would like to explain each of these (other than the first warrant article which is the election of Board members) to give everyone an idea of how these warrant articles originated and some information on the details of each article. This week, I will write about two of the warrant articles and will continue this next week.
Warrant Article Number 2 is a request for a bond to add an addition at the Lamprey River Elementary School that consists of 12 classrooms and a gym. If this is approved, the portables will be removed and space will be available for special education needs, guidance offices, physical education classes, and the nurse's office. Some renovations will also be done to the entrance and office area. The "temporary" portables (some of these are over 30 years old!) will be gone and will no longer be an expense (rental fees and maintenance issues). The bond amount requested is $9,425,000.
The Building Committee has determined the following reasons for asking for this bond: overcrowding, lack of special education areas (four teachers share a room and meet with students in the hallway); some physical education classes held in classrooms (after students move desks and chairs out of the way); inadequate nursing facilities (no facilities for special needs students and no shower); closets that are being used for guidance offices; and drop-off and pick-up issues. Add to these issues is that LRES was built completely in a flood plain. The plan calls for flood proofing the original building with a FEMA approved dry flood proofing material. The new addition will be built out of the flood plain and in accordance with the town regulations. The discussion about the elementary school has been on-going for many, many years and this warrant article provides voters with an opportunity to be a part of the discussion.
(Recommended by the School
Board: Yes-4; No-0)
(Recommended by the Budget
Committee: Yes-4; No-3)
Warrant Article Number 3 concerns the Raymond School District’s Operating Budget. This is the money raised each year to pay salaries and benefits, purchase supplies and books, and buy everything else from food to heating oil to electricity! The Operating Budget for the 2017-2018 school year was approved by the School Board and the Budget Committee at $23,893,248.
This huge number comes after much work on the part of the Principals, the Facilities Director, Food Service Director, Special Education Director, Technology Director, the Superintendent, our School Board, the Budget Committee, and our Business Administrator, Ron Brickett, who begins the process by calculating the cost of the district employees. This includes all employees from administrators to teachers to special education aides to kitchen help to custodians. Our schools are a business and all of these wonderful employees help us to be successful.
Next, we look at expenses for the coming year. For the 2017-2018 year our largest "bill" is contractual obligations- those things we must pay due to contracts we have signed. This includes such things as transportation costs; student tuition for both special education students and those who attend the Seacoast School of Technology; and rising health insurance costs. We also have to take our best “guess” about the cost of oil, electricity, insurances, and unanticipated emergencies such as snow removal, furnace repairs etc. When all the increases were added together it came to $718,290 over the current budget! After making cuts and adjustments, the budget that is proposed is an increase of $365, 447 (a 1.6% increase) over the current year’s budget. All of the department administrators worked extremely hard to create a budget that provides the best education for our students at the lowest possible cost. If this does not pass, the default budget will be $23,864,888.
(Recommended by the School
Board: Yes-4; No-0)
(Recommended by the Budget
Committee: Yes-5; No-0; Abstain-2)
