Plainfield, New Hampshire School District Overview Neal L. McIntyre Plymouth State University College of Graduate Studies

District Summary  One school; Plainfield Elementary School (K-8). Area agreement along with Grantham to send secondary students to Lebanon.  293 students; 2,444 town residents  6% of students on lunch-aid  17 th of 246 public elementary schools on 2008/2009 NECAP testing

District Summary (cont’d)  25.7 teachers, $55,669 average salary (min. $33,261; max $66,336)  Part-time principal ($68,000), part-time superintendant  10.9:1 student:teacher ratio  Faculty (n=27 teachers/administrators) : BA/BS 52.5%, MA/MS/M.Ed. 47.5%  Plainfield Education Association

Proposed Budget Expense Summary Category: 2009/2010 Estimated Actual Expenses2010/2011 Budget Proposal$$ Increase% Increase Regular Education$2,844,309.00$3,011,386.00$167, % Special Education$861,212.00$921,442.00$60, % Co-Curricular$61,958.00$63,081.00$1, % Guidance$97,413.00$97,670.00$ % Health$81,777.00$87,072.00$5, % Staff/Curriculum Dev.$40,600.00$45,500.00$4, % Library$95,879.00$97,375.00$1, % Information Services$62,429.00$75,218.00$12, % School Board$23,700.00$26,950.00$3, % SAU Office$151,317.00$155,988.00$4, % Principal's Office$237,290.00$241,435.00$4, % Plant Operation$336,412.00$314, $22, % Transportation$213,399.00$192, $20, % Food Services$79,085.00$80,621.00$1, % Debt Services$160,148.00$153, $6, % Federal Grants$148,005.00$114, $33, % Transfers From Reserves87,800.00$13, $74, % Total$5,582,734.00$5,686,833.00$104, %

Budget Superlatives  $276,170,311 taxable property value  2.18% annual spending increase average since school year.  : 10.41% tax increase over budget, 2.4% spending increase  State Aid -$40,707 (loss of some NH Adequacy Grant funding)  Federal Aid +$14,185 (Stimulus Package Funding non-budget relieving conditions)  Benefit Trust, Transportation Trust, Special Education Trust transfers virtually eliminated.

Attrition and Projections  Enrollment has been declining steadily since 2005 with an average projected rate of 5.16% loss by ( from ).  Reflects declining economy and heightened family attrition caused by increasing tax rates and poor Upper Valley job market.

Budget  Total Budget: $5.687 million  Increase of $139,441 from budget (+2.54%)  Estimated non-tax revenue loss of $289,079 (-20%) a.-$40,707 in State Aid b.-$220,858 previous year’s surplus  Tax revenue $4.546 million (10.41% increase)  Summary: budget increase and tax revenue loss leads to greater demand on tax-based revenue in budget.  Represents a tax increase of $1.56 per $1000 of assessed value, or $312 on a $200,000 home.

Major Projects/Bond Items  Retirement of bond issued in 2000 for renovation/expansion of kindergarten makes way for new bond items.  Energy efficiency upgrade: investment in insulation, heating/cooling systems, and high efficiency windows; projected to reduce energy loss by 70%. ($275,000)  Roof repair ($65,000)

Spending Comparisons  7.95% increase in per pupil spending since school year. a $15,242 b $16,477  Reduction of 1.37 teachers (-$100,838)  Increase in LHS tuition ($187,000, +2%)  Budgeting for 5.5 fewer students, saves $72,292 in spending.

Budget Highlights  $289,079 decrease in non-tax revenue (20.22%)  $136,797 (2.46%) expense increase  Student attrition increase  Tax rate increase of 10.41%

Budget Voting Process  School Board meeting March, to vote on 10 warrant articles.  Budgetary proposal would increase local property taxes 10.41%, and would include the loss of staff despite budgetary increases.  Chief spending increases included LHS enrollment, and health insurance (+$137,797). Discretionary spending increase of just $18,664.  Loss of teachers, additions of 1.0 special education assistant and increase in school technology.  300+ voters attended the meeting, voting by a margin of 32 votes in favor of the budget proposal, and it took just 20-minutes.

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