Special education funding topic of proposed bill

A new bill gets the nod from legislators.
The bill would require the state to pay at least 80 percent of the catastrophic aid for eligible special education costs that districts are entitled to through a longstanding formula. State money to support educating students with a high level of special needs has dropped to about 70 percent of what districts are entitled to in the past two years.

But while the N.H. House’s education committee unanimously backs House Bill 344, which goes before the full House on Wednesday, the finance committee recommended killing the bill.
Under the formula, districts should be reimbursed for 80 percent of a student’s special education costs that total more than 3.5 times the state average cost per pupil. Special education costs that exceed 10 times the state average cost per pupil should be fully reimbursed by the state.
For the 2013 fiscal year, the state average cost per pupil is $13,217.
Winchester taxpayers pay much much more per student than this .. 
But when the state budget doesn’t have enough money to cover all catastrophic aid costs, the law allows the state to prorate, or adjust, the payments proportionately. And that’s been the case more often than not in recent years, local school district business administrators say.
Catastrophic aid funding is based on the preceding year’s costs. For the current school year, catastrophic aid for 1,052 students will total about $79.5 million statewide, according to the N.H. Department of Education. Of those costs, nearly $30 million is eligible to be reimbursed under the catastrophic aid formula. Yet the state will pay about 71.8 percent of those costs, or $21.5 million.
In 2011-12, the state paid 69 percent of the aid districts were entitled to, 77 percent in 2010-11 and 85 percent in 2009-10.
If the law had been in place this year, the state’s catastrophic aid payments would have increased by nearly $2.5 million.
In addition to the 80 percent requirement, the bill also would remove the provision that allows catastrophic aid be prorated.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Rick M. Ladd, R-Haverhill, said in a committee hearing last month that with shrinking funding from the state and payment based on the previous year, districts might be forced to borrow, transfer money from other budget accounts or rely on reserve funds to meet special education costs that the districts are legally mandated to provide.
The purpose of catastrophic aid is to pay special education costs for the state’s most vulnerable students, but each year that the state’s portion is decreased, the financial burden is increasingly transferred to the local taxpayer, he said.
Yet the finance committee does not support the bill, according to a report from last week, because the committee believes that catastrophic aid will be addressed in the House budget, which committee members are working on now before an early April deadline.
State Rep. Susan M. Ford, D-Easton, who spoke for the finance committee last week, said it’s not uncommon for the committee to rule out allocation bills if that money is already included in the budget. If a representative wants to increase that budget line, he or she would have to come to the finance committee and work on the issue, she said.
The House budget, which is still under work, lists catastrophic aid at $21,537,308 for 2014 and $23,537,308 for 2015.
N.H. School Administrative Unit 29 Business Administrator John R. Harper said reliability for school districts is the important issue here. If the state can’t fund catastrophic aid under the current formula, then perhaps the formula should be changed into something the state can afford to pay in full, he said. That way, districts could count on a predictable number each year.
N.H. School Administrative Unit 29 provides top-level administration to the Chesterfield, Harrisville, Marlborough, Marlow, Keene, Nelson and Westmoreland districts.
One special education case could cost more than $300,000, and for a small district with a $2 million budget, that’d be disastrous without state help, said Timothy L. Ruehr, business administrator for the Unit 29 towns.
Being able to count on at least 80 percent of the catastrophic aid districts are entitled to would be significant, and it would reduce some of the guesswork involved in estimating what percentage the state will pay out each year, he said. But what Ruehr would really like to see is the state fully fund catastrophic aid.
“It’s frustrating because the law hasn’t changed, they just prorate and say, ‘This is what we can afford to give you.’ “

Kaitlin Mulhere can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or kmulhere@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMulhereKS.

Judge weighs Dunkin Donuts' future

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

Whether there will be more coffee and doughnuts in Winchester’s future should be known soon.
After a court hearing Monday, a judge is weighing whether to uphold the town planning board’s denial of a proposed combination gas station, convenience store and Dunkin’ Donuts, reverse it or send the matter back to the board.
S.S. Baker’s Realty Co., which has proposed the development at the northeast corner of routes 10 and 78, filed the lawsuit in August, after the Winchester board rejected the plan in July. The company is proposing a roughly 3,600-square-foot, single-story building on about 1.19 acres at 4 Warwick Road (Route 78). The building would include a drive-through for Dunkin’ Donuts.
In its denial of the project, the planning board cited concerns about traffic flow at the intersection if the business were to move in, and that the project would overwhelm the site.
Attorneys for all parties involved in the case advocated that Cheshire County Superior Court Judge John C. Kissinger Jr. make a decision and not remand the case back to the planning board.
Attorney Gary J. Kinyon of Keene, representing S.S. Baker’s Realty, said his client submitted ample evidence to support the approval of the plan, and the board’s denial was improper.
“We ask the court approve the site plan rather than consider a remand to the board. I don’t think it’s necessary because the evidence in support of approval is so overwhelming,” he said.
Attorney Matthew R. Serge of Concord, representing the Winchester Planning Board, disagreed, saying there were competing expert reports about the effect the project would have on safety at the intersection of routes 10, 78 and 119.
One of the reports was a traffic impact study done by Laurie M. Rauseo, a professional traffic engineer, for S.S. Baker’s Realty, which found the new business wouldn’t adversely affect the intersection. The other was a peer review of that study done for Kulick’s Inc., a nearby market and gas station, which questioned some of Rauseo’s findings. The owner of Kulick’s, Stanley S. Plifka Jr., opposes the project.
“In this situation, it’s the plantiff’s burden to offer sufficient evidence that this will be safe. Here the board had a legitimate credible expert report that called that into question, and the board was entitled to rely on that,” Serge said.
He and Attorney Kelly E. Dowd, who represented Kulick’s Inc., asked Kissinger to affirm the planning board’s decision.
“I think you will find the board tried to be very fair and patient throughout the process. There were lots of questions, and lots of information to deal with, as well as personal observations of board members, which they’re allowed to consider in making their decision,” Serge said.
Throughout Monday’s hearing, Kinyon, Serge and Dowd battled over methodology and conclusions of the traffic impact study, the validity of the peer review report of the study, the content of the minutes from the planning board hearings, and the powers of a planning board.
Kinyon said the meeting minutes must be examined carefully to see if there was any adequate basis for the planning board to deny the plan.
“I would suggest to the court there is simply no basis. There are simply vague statements, opinions and unsupported statements peppered throughout the minutes of the meetings that simply say, ‘We think there should be no left turn onto Route 10 south,’” he said.
Dowd said the planning board’s reasoning in rejecting the plan wasn’t vague.
Another area of contention during the hearing was the two driveway permits granted to S.S. Baker’s Realty by the N.H. Department of Transportation. The permits allow for an entrance and an exit to the property from Warwick Road and Route 10.
While Kinyon argued that those permits couldn’t be ignored, Serge and Dowd said the planning board can deny applications based on traffic safety even if the access is to a state highway.
“There is no statement anywhere in (the town’s) regulations that basically says if you get a DOT permit, you’re safe and you’re fine,” Serge said.
Kissinger did not give a time frame for his decision.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234 extension 1436 or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Winchester residents vote down sewage plant upgrades

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

WINCHESTER — Local officials will have to find another way to move forward with a $1.48 million project to complete upgrades to the town’s sewage treatment plant.
Although a majority voted in favor, voters didn’t give the project’s third and final phase, which also included developing a plan to inspect the sewer collection system, the 60 percent majority it needed to pass. The vote at the polls Tuesday was 284-270.
Upgrades to the roughly 30-year-old plant started in 2010, with the second phase expected to begin in late summer, town officials have said.
The town took over managing the facility in 2008, after its contract with United Water of Auburn expired. At the time, the plant was having numerous mechanical breakdowns.
The first phase of the project included basic repairs to the facility. The second phase was approved at town meeting in March 2009, and required an additional $500,000 after town officials learned the original $3.4 million bond approved at town meeting the year before wasn’t enough.
While the warrant article for the third phase of the project received support from the majority of voters attending the town’s deliberative session on Feb. 2, residents had many questions, including whether the $1.48 million was enough to fund all the work.
Selectmen and the budget committee were also divided over the article, with the selectmen unanimously recommending it, and the budget committee not recommending it by a 6-2 vote.
An article generating controversy at the deliberative session involving the Conant and Thayer public libraries passed at the polls.
Voters decided, 356-197, to establish a committee of seven residents to study the effects of consolidating the libraries. The committee, which will be appointed by the selectmen, will also include a representative from each library.
The article followed years of discussion about whether the town could afford two libraries. Thayer Library trustees came under fire from the selectmen in December for the way in which they amended the library’s bylaws earlier in 2011. Selectmen were especially concerned with one that shifted the responsibilities of caring for the library away from the library director and trustees.
Also at the polls, residents got behind an article establishing an ordinance to make it illegal for animals to run at-large on properties that don’t belong to their owners, by a vote of 358-194.
The selectmen unanimously backed the ordinance, which applies to all domestic animals.
According to the ordinance, residents whose domestic or wild animals escape their care could be fined $50 each time the animals get loose. The owners would also be responsible for expenses for caring for the animals.
The town already has a similar law in place for dogs.
An article to reduce the number of budget committee members at-large from seven to five, plus a representative each from the selectmen and school board, passed, 322-214. A similar proposal to reduce the number to seven, plus a representative each from the selectmen and school board, passed last year.
Residents approved the town’s operating budget of $3,417,661 by a vote of 322-245. The budget is an increase of 11 percent, or $346,074, from the current budget of $3,071,587.
They also backed the sewer department’s budget of $318,361 by a vote of 428-144, and the water department’s budget of $240,042 by a vote of 424-148.
A total of 607 people, or 24 percent of the town’s 2,493 registered voters, cast ballots.
Elections
In a five-way race for two, three-year seats on the board of selectmen, incumbent Theresa G. Sepe won re-election with 384 votes, followed by Herbert “Chan” Stephens, with 305 votes. Falling short were Brian Moser, 153 votes, Jennifer M. Bellan, 128 votes, and John Pasquarelli, 72 votes.
In the three-way race for two, three-year seats on the planning board, Michael Doherty was the top vote-getter with 345 votes, followed by Gustave “Gus” Ruth, with 271. Out of the running was Arthur Charland, with 257 votes.
Elected without opposition: James Tetreault, town clerk/tax collector, three years; Frank J. Amarosa 3rd, Thayer Public Library trustee, one year; Dianne Skawski-Pride and Joan Gratton, Thayer Public Library trustees, three years; Barbara Kelley, Marilyn Baker and Bonnie Leveille, Conant Public Library trustees, three years; Harvey Sieran, Kathleen Hebert and Margaret Curtis, budget committee, three years; Bonnie Leveille, supervisor of the checklist, one year; Theodore Whippie, trustee of trust funds, three years; Thomas MacQuarrie, Musterfield Cemetery Committee, three years.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234 extension 1436 or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Winchester school warrant survives close vote

by Kaitlin Mulhere

Editor's note: Due to an error, this article did not appear in Wednesday's print edition of The Sentinel. It will be in Thursday.


WINCHESTER — An $11 million budget and one-year staff contract squeaked by in the Winchester School District elections Tuesday.
Roughly 600 people, or 24 percent, of the town's 2,493 registered voters cast ballots.
About 52 percent of voters supported the $11,086,540 budget, which is up 2.3 percent from this year’s $10,835,480 budget.
The budget covers the expenses of the kindergarten through 8th-grade Winchester School, and tuition to send older students to Keene High School.
School board Chairman Trevor S. Croteau said previously that the $251,060 increase includes some new positions in special education at Winchester School and an additional kindergarten teacher.
Unlike last year, when the school board and budget committee butted heads over the budget, both groups supported the $11 million figure this year.
Voters also approved a one-year collective bargaining agreement with the Winchester Support Staff Association that will cost an additional $22,887 in 2013-14.
A similar article failed in last year's elections, and this year only 54 percent of voters gave their support.
Yet the closest vote on the warrant came from an article asking for up to $100,000 of surplus money to be placed in a special education expendable trust fund.
At the deliberative session in February, administrators said the special education fund is empty, which means there’s no contingency money if the district runs into unforeseen special education costs.
That article passed with just over 50 percent support, 279-271.
Voters also approved putting $25,000 of any surplus money in the building improvements reserve fund. The school board plans to use that money for projects such as finishing an upgrade of the school sprinkler system and installing a new lock system for some of the school’s entrances to enhance security, Croteau said.
Elections
Elected without opposition: Jason Cardinale to a three-year term on the school board; Bill McGrath to a one-year term on the school board; James Tetreault as district clerk and Henry A.L. Parkhurst as school district moderator.

Kaitlin Mulhere can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or kmulhere@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMulhereKS.

Some Election Results

SPENDING ON SCHOOLS IN WINCHESTER:
Winchester School District voters passed all the articles on the ballot, but barely. The school’s $11 million budget passed with 52.5 percent of the vote, and 54 percent of voters agreed to a one-year contract with the Winchester Support Staff Association that will cost an additional $22,887 next year.
An article to put up to $100,000 of surplus money in a special education trust fund squeaked by with 50.7 percent support.

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VOTING FOR OFFICE IN WINCHESTER: 
Incumbent Theresa Sepe (384 votes) and Herbert “Chan” Stephens (305 votes) win election to the board of selectmen.

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NO TO A SEWER UPGRADE IN WINCHESTER:
Winchester officials will have to find another way to move forward with a $1.48 million project to complete upgrades to the town's sewage treatment plant. By a 284 -270 vote, residents rejected the project's third and final phase, which also included developing a plan to inspect the sewer collection system. It failed to get the 60 percent majority it needed to pass.

more to come

EXPLAIN THE BALLOT

 

 

 

Just a reminder that today at 5 pm
BRIAN MOSER
will be giving an EXPLAIN THE BALLOT
at The Thayer Public Library in Ashuelot
Everyone is WELCOME!

PLEASE Vote on Tuesday (March 12th)!

Home News Local News Winchester tries operating without a town administrator

Posted: Sunday, March 10, 2013 8:00 am | Updated: 8:14 am, Sun Mar 10, 2013.

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff 

WINCHESTER — Selectmen have decided to not fill the position of town administrator until at least July.
Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta A. Fraser said the move to eliminate the full-time job, at least for the short-term, was made to save money. According to the 2011-12 town report, $55,000 was budgeted for the administrator position for the year.
In the meantime, the town administrator duties were given last month to executive assistant Shelly Walker, Fraser said.
Walker, who will receive about an extra $1.50 per hour, was among a number of candidates who applied for the full-time position, she said.
( so how do you apply for a position that was never advertised and why is Margaret Sharra sitting at Shelly's desk all day long ?)
Joan C. Morel, who had been town administrator since October 2010, submitted a letter of resignation to selectmen in December. Her last day was supposed to be Feb. 8, but she had agreed to stay on the job until March 12, before that changed last month.
The town administrator position also included assessing office responsibilities, and those have been given to Land Use Administrator Margaret Sharra for now, Fraser said. Sharra will receive roughly an extra $1 per hour, Fraser said. ( when was this position advertised? )
“We’re doing everything we can to have the town run efficiently with what we can afford. When we looked at the (town administrator) position, and compared it to what we needed in the office, we decided to give this a try,” she said.
By saving money between now and the end of the fiscal year in June, it will help with the inevitable cash flow issues that crop up when the town’s coffers run down as the budget year comes to a close, she said. Compounding this is the fact that the Winchester School District is also on a fiscal year for its budget, with the same money issues, Fraser said. The school district is now independent, where it used to be part of N.H. School Administrative Unit 38, and that means there’s no leeway in when payments are due, she said.
In prior years, the town has had to borrow money to pay bills, especially at the end of the year, Fraser said.
“It really comes down to timing,” she said.
The changes to the town administrator position were announced at a selectmen’s work session on Feb. 19 following a nonpublic session. According to minutes from the meeting, Morel’s official last day was Feb. 21.
“Joan had agreed to stay on (until March), and then we decided to go with the new plan,” Fraser said.
After seeing how much voters appropriate for the town on Tuesday, selectmen will discuss whether to keep the town administrator job as is, or move the job’s responsibilities to other positions.
If selectmen decide to keep the job intact, the position will be reinstated in July.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234 extension 1436 or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.