CABOT – On February 16, the Cabot School Board made a motion to approve budgeted expenditures to provide for students in fiscal year 2022 or FY22. This budget currently includes cuts to math positions and a nine percent education tax increase.

High school math positions at Cabot School will be cut from one to 0.6, resulting in Cabot School only offering Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry. However, students who wish to take Calculus and higher will be able to take them through programs like Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative and the Community College of Vermont.

Principal Rebecca Tatisheff stated that she wanted to focus on creating strong instruction in these three areas before adding more. The goal is sustainability and stabilization for students who have had such a varied experience, Tatisheff added.

“I am absolutely on board with getting kids to calculus, physics and engineering,” Tatisheff said. “But, I want to do it mindfully so we’re not sending kids in with gaps.”

Additionally, there is an anticipated nine percent increase in the education tax for property taxpayers, board member Michael Taub stated. The household-income increase is based on an income-sensitive rate of 2.74 percent, which is a rate set by the state, Taub added.

“For homeowners paying taxes based on home value, a $100,000 home will see about a $92 increase this year,” Taub said. “Those who pay on household-income, say $50,000, will be looking at a $115 increase.”

The board is working to mitigate the cost of exceeding the penalty threshold, which is a tax penalty applied on every dollar spent above the threshold, which is determined by the state. While the draft budget has been reduced, Taub said that there is still a difference of $96,515 required to get back under the threshold.

One contributing factor to this issue is that state funding does not exempt the cost of special needs services, vice chair Rory Thibault wrote in his most recent update. Historically, Cabot has had a disproportionately high number of students that require special services and any extra money spent on accommodating student’s needs puts the board closer to the threshold limit.

“There is no distinction from a penalty standpoint between schools,” Thibault said. “It adds to my disappointment that we haven’t had any of our legislators meet with us on this.”

The board also made a motion to lease buses rather than buy them. According to Taub, $10,000 was spent on repairs for Cabot buses in the last eighteen months, which cost more than leasing one bus.

The funds saved from this change could be used in FY22 or be put into a fiscal reserve to be saved for a later time, Taub suggested.

While the motion has been passed for now, Thibault’s update stated that the Board hopes to delay the school budget vote until April so that it can continue to refine and create a budget that is fair to taxpayers and student’s needs.

You can find this story published in The Hardwick Gazette.