While the schools seem to have done a great job keeping costs down, the legistlature will most likely frustrate their efforts by raising the education property tax.

The effect of all of this is that the school budget for Northfield is down by 3.6 percent while the taxes that we pay on our real estate will go up by 7 cents due to the increase in the state school tax assessment.

Debra Wick addressed the selectboard last week informing them that even though the school budget was less than last year, the tax rate would be increasing due to state assessments.

The budget savings will be about $372,000 but education property tax rates for the state will increase by about 7 cents.

She said that the base homestead tax rate, which is set by the legislature, is expected to increase by about two cents and Northfield's common level of appraisal (CLA) will result in an increase of about three and a half cents. She said that even the local spending share of the taxes will increase by about one and a half cents because of level funding per pupil from the State.

The voters will be asked on town meeting day to approve a total of $9,922,432 for the support of our local schools for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2010. To meet the budget requirements, the voters will be asked to transfer $87,126 which was appropriated for last year’s budget but not spent last year to be used this year to increase the long term maintenance fund.

The maintenance fund became depleted because the elementary school needed new boilers.

Then, the voters will be asked to approve the purchase of a new pickup truck for the school to replace the nine year old truck that they currently have. The cost of the new truck will be $38,000.

Mrs. Wick said that the truck is used to maintain athletic fields, haul cleared brush, plow and do other general maintenance chores needed by the schools.

Finally, the school board has placed an issue on the ballot to raise the percentage of voters necessary for a reconsideration petition from 5 percent to 10 percent.

The reason for this proposal is because in the past, nearly every vote could be challenged by a small group of voters making it necessary to expend additional money to hold another election to reconsider items which had already been passed by the voters. The board believes that this proposal would reduce the number of these protests.

Ms. Wick reported that last year, the schools improved in all areas where the board had been concentrating their efforts, academic improvement, personnel, infrastructure and fiscal management.

She reported that test scores improved in all three tested areas, math, reading and writing with significant improvement in both math and writing.

During the year, the board finalized its policies which define academic goals and methods of ensuring successful completion of those goals.

Perhaps most importantly, the board broadened its thinking about relevant education by exploring such things as “what will today’s kindergartener need to know when they enter the work force in 2022?”

Ms. Wick reported that the district ended its 2008-2009 fiscal year with a surplus of $225,178 and that the food service deficit was reduced by $152,661 bringing the overall for service deficit to $47,156 which the board believes will be eliminated during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

School Superintendent, Michele Fagan reported that the schools welcomed to new administrative leaders this year, Carol Curtis, a veteran principal who took over at Northfield Elementary School and Denise Maurice, a veteran teacher of math who became principal in Roxbury.

Ms. Fagan noted that even though the district has worked extremely hard to save money and reduce costs, there were major maintenance concerns in Northfield such as the age of the