Chichester School District’s proposed budget carries more money for substitute teachers, a few facility upgrades, and a hike in taxes for residents.
On Saturday at 9 a.m., town residents will debate whether to approve the school district’s $6.7 million proposed operating budget.
They will also be asked to approve a negotiated 2% pay boost for teachers, who earn about $66,000 a year on average, according to Department of Education data. The collective bargaining agreement includes more comprehensive life insurance policies and military and jury-duty leave and will add about $80,000 a year in additional expenses for three years.
Non-teachers in the district would see a 3% salary increase and the principal would see a 2% increase. Funds are also allocated in the proposed budget to increase substitute teachers’ daily pay from $80 a day to $100 a day, in order to attract more applicants. A mixture of COVID-19 cases and required quarantine time led to to severe staffing shortages across New Hampshire schools in 2022 and substitute teachers quickly became in short supply.
The budget includes money for some facility upgrades, including roof repairs, blind-spot security cameras and Wifi access points.
If passed, the proposed plan would cause an 8% increase in school taxes. For a Chichester resident living in a $300,000 home, that equates to an additional $369 in taxes a year.
This would be the largest school tax increase in Chichester in more than six years.
Chichester has about 200 students that attend the Chichester Central School and then students go on to Pembroke Academy for their high school education.
At a State of the State speech last month, Gov. Chris Sununu urged residents to push back against local tax increases, noting that local governments have unprecedented access to federal funds.