SWANZEY — Superintendent Lisa A. Witte and School Board Chair Scott Peters wish to thank voters in the six towns that comprise the Monadnock Regional School District for their support in passing the district’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget and a series of warrant articles on Tuesday.
Each of the board-sponsored articles passed by a margin of 50 or more votes, paving the way for renovations at the middle-high school, as well as a fully-funded operating budget for the coming fiscal year. Voters also approved a new collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Monadnock District Education Association.
The budget represents a 1.36 percent increase over the current fiscal year’s operating budget. The budget includes a maximum insurance rate increase of 8.4 percent, a 3 percent increase in transportation costs, and other contractual wage increases.
“Thank you to the many voters in our district towns who came out to vote and to show their support for our education system,” Superintendent Witte said. “I also would like to thank the School Board members and administrators who worked diligently to develop a budget that kept in mind the unique needs of our students, staff and community.”
The new collective bargaining agreement will run for three years, beginning this summer. The agreement outlines a number of changes, including increases to the hourly rate for work performed outside of contracted days, increases to the buyback rate for unused sick days, the introduction of flexible spending accounts, and a reduction in the number of contracted days for middle-high school nurses.
“I am grateful to the voters for endorsing these articles, which will help us to support our students, our continued efforts to attract and retain the talented educators, and our overall commitment to providing the highest quality of education,” Chair Peters said.
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