School board still fleshing out budget for facility needs

Vermont Standard
12/27/19
By Allan Stein
Standard Staff

The Windsor Central Supervisory Union is looking to add extra funds to support next year’s FY21 capital expense budget, which tentatively includes only $50,000 to cover facility needs of the entire district.

“We should be funding $1.2 million to $1.4 million per year,” said James Haff, a Killington member of the Windsor Central Supervisory Union school board, during a meeting on Dec. 16.

“We are underfunding $1 million to $1.2 million per year,” he said.

During the bi-weekly meeting, Director of Finance and Operations Michael Concessi said the projected budget for buildings and grounds maintenance in FY21 is currently pegged at $2.24 million.

This represents an increase of $265,000 over the FY20 budget, he said.

“Snow removal and the mix of custodial/maintenance labor time was under budgeted in the FY20 budget and this has been corrected in FY21. Unfortunately, the projected budget number currently only allows for $50,000 in capital expenses across the district,” Concessi and WCSU Superintendent Mary Beth Banios said in a statement.

“If there is room to add more, we’ll add more,” Concessi said.

While school officials continue putting together the FY21 budget, Banios said $50,000 in capital outlay is a “placeholder amount” until the budget is fully developed.

“If possible we would like to increase the amount available for capital projects. We do have reserve accounts in a number of schools that could be tapped into in the event of an emergency,” Banios said.

Haff said district officials might consider low-interest


rate borrowing of $1 million to $1.5 million to meet districtwide capital needs in FY21.

“We’re trying to do so many great things, but the house we’re trying to do it in is going to hell. We’re a public education system, and you should be taking care of your buildings,” Haff said.