Mixed bag in school budget voting; 4 pass, 2 fail

Residents of Addison County’s largest and smallest school districts approved their fiscal year 2027 public education budgets on Tuesday. But two school budgets on the southern end of the country did not pass.

After strenuous attention to questions of transparency extending from last week’s meeting, the Otter Valley Unified school board voted to approve an FY27 budget that would come in at $28,841,285, or a 2.92% increase from last year

Barring any major, 11th-hour subtractions or additions, ACSD voters on March 3 will be asked to approve $53 million in spending to educate Middlebury-area PreK-12 students during the 2026-2027 academic year.

The district is anticipates a slight increase in the homestead tax rate for FY27.

The Addison Northwest School District board in two meetings this month continued to wrestle with a spending proposal for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Otter Valley Unified Union School Board on Tuesday faced spirited community pushback toward the prospect of an added year-round curriculum coordinator position in the central office while cutting student-facing jobs, like a middle school social studie … (read more)

District officials say they’re doing their best to keep costs down for FY27.

District leaders are crafting a FY2027 school budget amidst inflation, rising health care premiums and a lack of surplus to apply to the bottom line.

Buoyed by good news on projected education property tax rates, a majority of Addison County residents supported their local school budgets on Town Meeting Day.

Voters in the Mount Abraham Unified School District on Town Meeting Day decisively approved a $34,894,443 fiscal year 2026 budget. They voted in favor of the spending plan, 1,280-596.

Residents in the five Addison Northwest School District communities on Tuesday solidly backed a $27.653 million budget proposal to provide education for students in the coming school year.

Three school districts serving students from Addison County will soon revote budgets. Mount Abe, Slate Valley and Otter Valley budgets deserve to pass.

The absence of an approved FY’25 spending plan pushes SVUUSD closer to the prospect of having to borrow funds to at least begin the next budget cycle, which begins July 1.

For the second time this month, residents of the five communities on Tuesday rejected a spending plan — this time by 18 votes.

Voters in the Orwell-area school district endorse 2022-23 school spending plans