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Morgan voters defeat school budget |
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Friday, 14 March 2008 |
By LAURA CARPENTER
Express Staff Writer
The majority of Morgan residents voted the budget of about $589,500 down for the E. Taylor Hatton School.
Resident Dave Merrill and School Board Chairman Kelly Paul said the general consensus was that voting no was a way to send Montpelier a message that they are unhappy with rising property tax bills.
Merrill said he disagrees with the tactic because, he said, if
residents are unhappy with tax bills voters should contact their
representatives to voice concerns, citing how easily assessable their
local representatives are.
Merrill said he voted to not pass the budget because of other concerns
about the school. He said the board members were not prepared with
evidence that the students are receiving a quality education.
According to Paul, the test score have gone up this year, but Merrill
and resident Ellen Woods maintain that test score from a school with
about 33 students do not accurately reflect academic progress because
one student can skew the results. Woods said that she would also like
to see proof that students who come from such a small school fare well
once they enter the much larger junior and senior high schools.
Some residents are discussing paying tuition to send students to other schools because the cost per student is about the same.
Woods also said that enrollment is down and the budget continues to rise every year.
Paul said the budget is higher because of the fixed cost of salaries,
insurance and fuel, which accounts for the majority of the budget. She
said statewide enrollment is down four percent.
Paul also said the board is preparing to present proof to taxpayers of
the student academic progress and how they do when entering larger
schools.
She said that sending the Morgan students to another school would have
to be agreed upon by the other school, which is not a guarantee.
Paul, and Merrill both said many residents are unhappy that Morgan is a
“sending town,” meaning that part of their property taxes go to other
schools in the state.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 March 2008 )
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