BRISTOL — Residents of the five towns of the Mount Abraham Unified School District (MAUSD) will be asked on Tuesday to say yea or nay to a $31,399,182 spending plan to fund the district’s six schools for the 2020-2021 school year.
The budget, if adopted, would increase the five-town district’s spending by 1.45%, and, according to MAUSD officials, maintain all current programs.
Residents are expected to face increases in their towns’ school tax rates ranging from about 5.8% to 8.2%; see below for details.
However, only about a third of district and Vermont taxpayers pay education property taxes based on the value of their homes. Roughly two-thirds of residents — those with incomes below a certain threshold — receive prebates on their education property taxes and would not feel the full brunt of those increases.
Factors pushing tax rates higher include declining district enrollment that is reducing MAUSD per-pupil state revenue, rising salaries, a spike of 13% or more in the cost of providing health insurance benefits, and typical inflationary pressures on fixed expenses, such as maintenance and utilities.
The 1.45% spending increase comes despite what officials said will be a reduction of four fulltime district teachers and the equivalent of 8.25 other fulltime employees, all achieved through attrition and early-retirement buyouts.
According to officials the number of classrooms being used in district elementary schools will be adjusted to reflect changing enrollments and ensure class sizes fall within district guidelines. Bristol Elementary School will gain one classroom, and one fewer each will be used in New Haven, Monkton and Starksboro schools.
The budget also assumes using $500,000 of a $750,705 surplus from the 2018-2019 school year toward offsetting taxes. The board proposes to use the remaining $250,000 to establish an Education Reserve Fund.
Creating the reserve fund will also require voter approval on March 3, and according to MAUSD officials any use of the fund, if supported, will require voter approval in the future.
MAUSD held its annual meeting at Mount Abe on Tuesday.

TOWN IMPACTS
Below are the estimates for each town released by MAUSD. The estimates assume residents back the roughly $31.4 million budget and establishment of the $250,000 reserve fund. They also apply each town’s Common Level of Appraisal (CLA). CLAs are applied to account for how town-wide assessments compare to fair market value, per state calculations:
•  Bristol’s school tax rate would rise by about 13.2 cents, or 8.2%, to $1.7418 per $100 of assessed property value.
For the roughly one-third of taxpayers who pay solely on the value of their homes, the increase would add about $132 of taxes per $100,000 of assessed value.
Bristol’s CLA is 96.6%, adding to the rate.
•  Lincoln’s school tax rate would rise by almost 9.7 cents, or 6.5%, to $1.5896.
For the roughly one-third of taxpayers who pay solely on the value of their homes, the increase would add almost $97 of taxes per $100,000 of assessed value.
Lincoln’s CLA is 105.85%, lowering the rate.
•  Monkton’s school tax rate would rise by about 9.6 cents, or 5.8%, to $1.7507.
For the roughly one-third of taxpayers who pay solely on the value of their homes, the increase would add about $96 of taxes per $100,000 of assessed value.
Monkton’s CLA is 96.11%, adding to the rate.
•  New Haven’s school tax rate would rise by almost 10.2 cents, or 6%, to $1.7994.
For the roughly one-third of taxpayers who pay solely on the value of their homes, the increase would add almost $102 of taxes per $100,000 of assessed value.
New Haven’s CLA is 93.51%, adding to the rate.
•  Starksboro’s school tax rate would rise by almost 13.5 cents, 8.2 percent, to $1.7760.
For the roughly one-third of taxpayers who pay solely on the value of their homes, the increase would add almost $135 of taxes per $100,000 of assessed value.
Starksboro’s CLA is 94.74%, adding to the rate.
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].