John Stark voters to discuss operating budget, funds for CRTC tuition

Voters in Henniker and Weare will discuss a $16 million proposed budget for John Stark High School at the school district’s deliberative session on Friday, Feb. 6.

The school warrant includes articles about a one-year teacher contract, hiring a new athletic trainer and setting aside more money to send students to Concord Regional Technical Center.

John Stark is seeking $111,000 to pay tuition for students attend CRTC, which offers career and technical education for students from a variety of sending schools.

Superintendent of Schools Jacqueline Coe said the article was the result of reduced state aid to cover tuition for regional tech centers. “We literally just got an underpayment bill… so we’re in a really tough spot. Last year, we had to say no to a number of students… because we didn’t have funding for them,” she said.

If the warrant article passes, about 30 to 35 John Stark students will be attending programs at the CRTC in the next school year, whereas around 50 attended it in previous years.

The $16.15 million proposed operating budget is 4% higher than last year’s $15.52 budget. Among the major cost drivers are health insurance premiums.

A proposed teacher contract for the upcoming school would add $488,810 in costs the first year. The warrant also proposes a two-year contract for support personnel, which would cost an estimated $142,000 in its first year.

One warrant article asks for $65,000 to hire an athletic trainer. The school has some training services now, some of which are led by EMTs, but the district wants to hire a person with athletic training knowledge.

There is also a warrant article curtailing open enrollment, but it could be rendered moot by state action before a final vote can happen.

The deliberative session will be at John Stark Regional High School on Friday at 7 p.m. Registered voters in the two towns that send students to John Stark can discuss and, to an extent, amend warrant articles.

Voting will take place on March 10. On election day, two school board seats with 3-year terms will be on the ballot, one for a Henniker resident and one for a Weare resident.

The high school is located at 618 North Stark Highway in Weare.

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