Gina Tron
BARRE — For some students, school is about much more than what happens in a classroom.
It can mean connecting with other teens for a board game, working on an art project together, and reaching an athletic milestone. Those activities could be among the things the Barre Unified Union School District (BUUSD) has to consider cutting if voters reject its proposed budget for a third time this year.
BUUSD will return to voters Sept. 15 with a Fiscal Year 2027 budget calling for a 2.1% increase. Voters rejected earlier proposals of 3.36% in March and 2.73% in May. The district has now started the school year without an approved budget.
That delay carries a financial cost. While operating without an approved budget, BUUSD can spend up to 87% of the previous year’s budget, but must cash-flow those expenses through a line of credit, state grant reimbursements and partial education funding from the state. Interest costs could reach approximately $22,000 per month.
Garrett Grant, chair of the BUUSD school board, said the district has already made substantial reductions since voters first saw the budget in March. He said the budget includes a reduction of 4.5 full-time-equivalent positions tied to unfilled positions. Grant said the district has reduced overall spending by about $700,000 since the March proposal.
The current proposal totals $57,129,257, a 2.1% increase over the previous fiscal year. Grant described it as a “level program” budget — essentially funding the same programs for another year — while noting that the district has made reductions in response to declining enrollment.
Grant also pointed to inflation when explaining the current proposal.
“The budget’s a 2.1% increase,” he said. “Inflation for the last 12 months is about 3.5%, so well below inflation.”
At the same time, he acknowledged the pressure inflation is putting on local families.
“The costs that remain are largely inflationary,” Grant said. “But we recognize that those same inflationary pressures are making it harder for families to afford everyday life.”
That tension is at the center of the third vote. Grant said the school budget is one of the areas where voters have a direct say over a major cost, even as many other household expenses are beyond their control.
“People didn’t get a vote when their gas prices went up and they didn’t get a vote when corporations raised the cost of food and utilities,” he said. “The school budget is one of the few areas where taxpayers have a direct say in a major cost they face.”
If the budget fails again, the district may need to identify another approximately $350,000 in reductions. Many expenses are difficult to cut quickly because they are tied to contracts, health insurance, utilities and state and federal mandates, Grant said. That could leave transportation, athletics, extracurricular activities and other programs outside the traditional classroom more exposed.
Grant pointed to the district’s Dungeons & Dragons group and art club, as well as athletics, including the Spaulding High School girls hockey team, which he said has had notable accomplishments in recent years.
“These are the enrichment opportunities that help students explore and learn what they like and develop skills they’re going to carry with them for the rest of their life,” Grant said.
The district is also working with community partners on issues that extend beyond academics. Grant participates in a district community leadership team focused on student mental health, school interventions and chronic absenteeism. The group includes school staff members and outside organizations including the Aldrich Library and Washington County Mental Health.
Grant said the group looks at what may be preventing students from learning and thriving at school, including mental health and absenteeism.
“To see that mix of expertise and empathy is really inspiring,” he said.
Grant said he does not see the failed votes as evidence that voters are simply for or against public education. With only about 21% voter turnout in the two communities, he said, some voters may be frustrated or burned out by the budget process itself. He also pointed to affordability concerns and disagreements over the direction of the district.
The school board, meanwhile, is urging voters to review the new proposal and participate in the Sept. 15 vote.
The district will hold an informational session on the proposed budget Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. at the Spaulding High School Library and online.
