According to Superintendent Tim Mayes…
The Bedford School District Annual Deliberative Session will be held on Tuesday, February 2 @ 7:00 p.m. in the Bedford High School Theater. This is a public meeting where residents are able to review and revise the articles that are on the 2010 School District Warrant. The meeting is conducted by the School District Moderator, Ryk Bullock. To view the warrant click here.
Residents may make changes to the language and funding amounts of each article within the law. Each change would need to be moved, seconded, discussed and then voted on by those residents in attendance at the meeting. The moderator guides the process. The result will be the ballot that residents will vote on at the Annual School District Meeting (all day ballot vote) held on March 9.
The warrant contains ten articles as follows:
Article I: This will be the election of one (1) new school board member to replace Chair David Sacks who is leaving the board after two terms; a school district moderator; a school district clerk; and a school district treasurer. The filing period ends @ 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 29.
Article II: This is a proposal to bond $7.85 million to complete renovations to the building and site at McKelvie Intermediate School and to address life/safety systems, paving and roofs at Peter Woodbury and Memorial Schools. The tax impact is $0.05 for 2010/11. For more details click here.
Article III: This is the warrant article for cost items associated with the third year of a 3-year contract with the Bedford Education Association (professional staff). The amount of the article is approximately $1.1 million with an estimated tax impact of $0.33. This contract maintains Bedford as a competitive employer in the region.
Article V: This is the warrant article for cost items associated with the third year of a 3-year contract with the Bedford Education Support Staff Association (custodians and maintenance staff). The amount of the article is approximately $56,000 with an estimated tax impact of $0.02. This contract maintains Bedford as a competitive employer in the region.
Article VII: This is the warrant article for cost items associated with the second year of a 3-year contract with the Bedford Education Personnel Association (support staff). The amount of the article is approximately $165,000 with an estimated tax impact of $0.05. This contract maintains Bedford as a competitive employer in the region.
Articles IV, VI and VIII: These articles allow the district to call one special meeting to present the cost items of a revised negotiated agreement to voters should articles III, V and VII be defeated.
Article IX: [Operating Budget] The school board is recommending an operating budget of $58.4 million, an increase of $740 thousand over the 2009/10 operating budget (1.3%). If article II is defeated, $203,000 would be added to the proposed budget to replace/repair sections of a roof at Memorial School. The default budget is $59.1 million, roughly $700,000 higher than the proposed budget. The default budget is what the school district would use for a budget if article IX is defeated. The estimated tax impact of this article is $0.37. For more information on the operating budget click here.
Article X: This article authorizes the school board to accept donations on behalf of the school district.