I am writing to express my concern about the potential 12% increase in the BUUSD budget for FY25. As a Barre Town taxpayer, I cannot support another large hike in the school’s expenditures, particularly given the current economic conditions we are faced with. Inflation has taken a huge bite out of living expenses, and taxpayers (both city and the town) are still recovering from the impact of the summer flood and high water table. We don’t know what the future may bring with snow melt in the spring and an uncertain economic future.
The ESSER funds provided a temporary relief to the district during COVID but now it appears that BUUSD is attempting to continue funding many of these “temporary” positions/programs. I recall the school business manager warning the board during recorded meeting about a year ago that these were one-time funds. I took from that meeting that the board would have to consider more carefully the fiscal implications of accepting the funding and the fiduciary responsibility post COVID. It is clear that the proposed increase, combined with that of the last year’s budget, are unreasonable for the two communities at this time.
I would encourage the BUUSD board to consider this in their budget deliberations and would encourage Barre Town and Barre City taxpayers to get out and vote to show the BUUSD board that we want better fiscal accountability. We indeed love our children and want them to have the best quality education possible. However, that does not mean living beyond our means.
