The Old Rochester Regional Joint School Committee approved a school budget of $19,211,913 for the next school year, a total that represents a 3.69 percent increase over this year’s budget. Questions on the budget during a March 7 public hearing centered on school choice students and dwindling students numbers. 

Most of the increase in the budget came from salary changes, utilities, and transportation. Contracted services and utilities had the highest percent of increase, at 10.98 percent, mostly because inconsistent energy prices led the business manager to average energy prices over the year. 

Fifty one percent of the budget will be used to pay staff salaries, while transportation and benefits accounts for another third of the funds. The school will request two full time teachers to teach technology classes at the high school and junior high school level next year, and one new social worker for the high school. 

The budget will now come before voters at all three town meetings. 

Norm Hills and John Waterman of the Marion Board of Selectmen were on hand to ask questions on the budget, as they are concerned about funding  school budgets with increases over 2.5 percent year after year. 

Hills noted that the decreasing school populations will eventually become problematic. The number of students entering the middle school will increase next year, but decrease after that. 

School Committee member Heather Burke observed that the population trends at Old Rochester most closely resemble those at smaller rural schools. She explained that once enrollment drops, programing begins to suffer, and more students leave. 

Hills brought up that Old Rochester has a significant number of school choice students this year, and asked how the school benefits from these 119 students. 

Superintendent Doug White replied that the funds help supposed programming at the school that keep students interested in Old Rochester. Administrators emphasized that they only took in the number of students they could handle. 

“It allows us to expand and offer more types of programming,” said Kevin Brogioli, Vice Principal at the Junior High School, noting that for his schools, students who would otherwise be in other districts bring in $100,000 in revenue. These funds allow the junior high to hire a reading specialist. 

Despite the programming benefits, Waterman asked the school committee to look into the average cost per school choice student, and make sure that it was less than the $5,000 that students pay ORR to attend. 

White responded that it was a legitimate question, and he would have the school look into it.