ANNOUNCED TUITION

https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-fy22-final-announced-tuition-report-v1.1-print-version.pdf

Budget Highlights 2023

The ANWSD Board started planning the FY23 budget and Town Meeting votes in October 2021, which included conversations about the District’s future and its capacity to maintain programs for all of our students. Uncertainty due to the COVID pandemic remains a challenge; our schools are seeing an increase in student needs and struggles as we all wrestle with the continuing consequences of the pandemic. The ANWSD Board, and the District as a whole, has addressed these uncertainties and challenges by developing a budget for the ensuing fiscal year that makes strategic investments which will meet student needs while maintaining all current programming in the most efficient manner possible. It is this budget we present to the voters, and we ask for their continued support.

The FY23 ANWSD Budget:

• Meets the Board and community educational goals of preserving equitable student opportunities, maintaining facilities, and ensuring affordability. This includes: o Supporting ongoing professional development for staff. o Supporting Continuous Improvement Plans (CIPs) across the District. o Expanding preschool and childcare offerings.

• Continues all current educational programming for students.

• Adds a 0.4 FTE teacher at Ferrisburgh Central School to meet class size optimal levels in elementary schools.

• Provides Student Social/Emotional Support by including a 1.0 FTE school psychologist to meet increased Special Education needs and a 1.0 FTE for the Resource Response Center (RRC) at the middle and high school in response to changing student needs in the wake of COVID-19 challenges.

• Moves the Addison Wayfinder Experience program to the VUHS building to ensure appropriate staffing.

• Increases substitute teacher wages to align with wages across the region.

• Undertakes development of architectural studies for “facility best use” plans including issues regarding the AWE program, moving 5th/6th grades to middle school, and/or relocating the Central Office.

• The Act 46 incentives our District has benefited from since consolidation have ended. Overall, our early consolidation provided a $0.30 (30 cent) total decrease in union tax rate over the past five years.

• Invests $1.5 million of FY21 surplus to Capital Improvement Fund to meet Facilities Maintenance Plan.

• The AOE currently estimates our Equalized Pupil count will decrease by 31.5 students in the coming school year.

• The proposed budget uses $337,763 of FY21 surplus as revenue in order to further decrease the union tax rate. All five municipalities in the District are expected to see overall Homestead Tax Rate decreases ranging from $0.0168 (1.68 cents) to $0.072 (7.2 cents).

• The Board requests a total Budget amount of $22,327,585, which is a 3.35% increase over last year’s budget. For comparison, the Consumer Price Index increased 7.0% in 2021.

• Estimated impact on Union Tax Rate is a decrease of $0.1044 (10.44 cents) before CLAs are applied; this equates to a 6.24% decrease from last year.

The FY23 ANWSD Budget in Big Picture

• The Annual audits confirm continued excellent fiscal management of District resources.

• Since consolidation in 2017, the number of equalized pupils in the District have decreased by more than 100 students.

• Since consolidation, the District’s budget has increased by a total of 5.74% – less than a 1% increase year over year. Three of six consolidated budgets exhibited decreases. In FY21, ANWSD was the only school district or supervisory union in Vermont to present a decreased budget to its voters.

• Since consolidation in 2017, the Union Tax Rate has decreased by a total of 3.77%. In the last two years, Union Tax Rate (before CLAs applied) is expected to decrease by at least $0.20 (20 cents).

FY 23 BUDGET PROCESS & TIMELINE

October 2021

• Special Education Service Plan due

• Principals establish a budget development process with staff

• Board discusses Long Term Planning

November 2021

• Director of Finance & Operations establishes a budget development process with principals

• Budget Presentation #1

• Board reviews Superintendent Procedures for class size (D16)

• Administration receives budget guidance from ANWSD Board (Nov 15)

December 2021

• Budget Presentation #2

• State information released

January 2022

• Budget Presentation #3

• Adopt Budget

February 28, 2022

• ANWSD Annual Meeting at 6 PM

March 1, 2022

• Town Meeting and vote by Australian ballot