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By MARY GROW
Correspondent 01/18/2008

China School Committee members got a draft budget to review at Wednesday's meeting, but almost everything about it is tentative.

School Union 52 Director of Business Gary Smith summarized a few preliminary indicators, good and bad.

The tentative bad news: Local taxpayers may have to raise almost $400,000 more than last year, depending on final state formulas and figures.

The tentative good news is that high-school tuition should be flat next year. Smith expects the tuition rate set by the state to go up by about 5 percent, based on previous years' experience; but China will have about 20 fewer high-school students, as about 60 eighth-graders replace about 80 high-school seniors.

Uncertainties on the state level include current-year funding, which may be impacted by the state revenue shortfall, as well as next year's state subsidy level, to be set by the Legislature.

Smith said he expects a preliminary state aid figure for 2008-09 by mid-February, but no firm number until April at the earliest.

On the local level, administrators and School Committee members need to review proposed expenditures in the draft budget.

In addition, contracts with administrators, teachers, support staff, cooks and bus drivers and two benefit packages all end this year. Negotiations have begun for some of the new contracts.

Also undecided is how local voters will approve the 2008-09 budget.

In 2007, the school budget was submitted to town voters on a written ballot in June.

The state has mandated a new two-step budget adoption procedure. It was to be part of school consolidation, but has become a separate issue.

Smith said the Legislature has not decided whether to make the new process effective in 2008 or to postpone it to 2009. The outlook seems to change hourly, he said.

When the new process takes effect, municipalities will need to have an open town meeting to discuss 11 expenditure articles plus three revenue articles, followed within 10 days by a referendum vote on the total budget figure.

China's quorum ordinance requires that a number of voters equal to 10 percent of the last gubernatorial vote be present for any town meeting.

Currently, 191 registered voters must be present to begin an open school budget meeting, and 191 votes must be cast to make a referendum valid.

Discussion of the 2008-09 budget is to continue at the Feb. 11 School Committee meeting.

School Union 52 Superintendent Hugh Riordan said he will have a draft 2008-09 school calendar ready by Feb. 11, as well.

One question to be decided is whether to open school after Labor Day this year.

The Labor Day holiday will be Sept. 1; and China teachers have a workshop the Tuesday and Wednesday before, so students could attend only two days, instead of the usual three, before the holiday weekend.

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