Pittsfield voters are strongly encouraged to join the deliberative session of the annual school district meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, at the Pittsfield Elementary School for explanation, discussion, debate, and amendments to the proposed operating budget and warrant articles.
The two key articles include:
- Article IV: collective bargaining agreement with teachers’ union
- Since the defeat of the previous proposed agreement, Pittsfield teachers have been working without a contract this year; the proposed one-year agreement will cost an estimated $99,885 or a tax impact of $.37/thousand.
- Article V: school district operating budget
- The proposed budget includes no new positions or programs; due to increased cost of various obligations, the current version of the proposed budget includes an increase of $303,490 or a tax impact of $1.15/thousand.
The Board had originally developed a budget that was $92,500 greater than the current version; however, the Budget Committee recommended a reduction of this amount. The Board has since voted to support the Budget Committee’s recommendation and thanks the Committee for its thorough review of the proposed budget.
Voters are encouraged to visit the school district website – sau51.org – to find proposed budget information. Reading school budget data can be confusing; good understanding of the budget has been hampered by misinformation being circulated in the community. School Board members and the district administration are available to answer budget questions:
- Mike Wolfe, School Board Chair: mwolfe@metrocast.net
- Bea Douglas, School Board Vice-Chair: bdouglas@metrocast.net
- Linda Freese, School Board Member: lgfreese@metrocast.net
- Ted Mitchell, School Board Member: tedmitchell@metrocast.net
- Ralph Odell, School Board Member: rodell@metrocast.net
- John Freeman, Superintendent of Schools: sau51super@metrocast.net
Pittsfield voters are asked to support our students, teachers, and schools with your participation in the deliberative session and to vote in favor of our collective bargaining agreement and proposed school district budget. Our chlidren’s futures depend on the strong educational foundation provided by our Pittsfield schools.