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Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Town Meeting Day Burlington Voters Approve School Budget
Posted
By Alicia Freese
on Tue, Mar 3, 2015 at 8:53 PM
Burlington voters overwhelmingly approved a $68.6 million school budget for Fiscal Year 2016.
The budget, which passed 4,774-2,459, represents a 1.75 percent increase in spending over last year — a much more modest uptick than voters have seen in recent years.
That will equate to an estimated 2.35 percent tax increase for Burlington residents.
The smooth outcome this year stands in stark contrast to Town Meeting Day 2014, when voters soundly rejected the school budget. (They later ended up approving a higher budget after the school board discovered a deficit that needed to be remedied.)
The board is concluding a rocky year in which it wrestled with multiple fiscal challenges and turnover in the district’s leadership. Tuesday’s vote could be considered a vote of confidence in its members, who have repeatedly pledged to rein in spending and improve their stewardship of the budget.
Two school board incumbents lost their seats.
Scott Shumski was tossed off the board, losing to Mark Barlow, 1,355-1,566.
Incumbent Brian Cina retained his seat, besting fellow incumbent Charlie Giannoni 613-530, and incumbent David Kirk narrowly held onto his seat, beating Helen Hossley 675-626.
In Ward 4, Anne Judson bested Arthur Vento 966-426 to claim an open seat on the board.
Correction 3/5/2015: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of incumbent school board members who lost their seats.
The budget, which passed 4,774-2,459, represents a 1.75 percent increase in spending over last year — a much more modest uptick than voters have seen in recent years.
That will equate to an estimated 2.35 percent tax increase for Burlington residents.
The smooth outcome this year stands in stark contrast to Town Meeting Day 2014, when voters soundly rejected the school budget. (They later ended up approving a higher budget after the school board discovered a deficit that needed to be remedied.)
The board is concluding a rocky year in which it wrestled with multiple fiscal challenges and turnover in the district’s leadership. Tuesday’s vote could be considered a vote of confidence in its members, who have repeatedly pledged to rein in spending and improve their stewardship of the budget.
Two school board incumbents lost their seats.
Scott Shumski was tossed off the board, losing to Mark Barlow, 1,355-1,566.
Incumbent Brian Cina retained his seat, besting fellow incumbent Charlie Giannoni 613-530, and incumbent David Kirk narrowly held onto his seat, beating Helen Hossley 675-626.
In Ward 4, Anne Judson bested Arthur Vento 966-426 to claim an open seat on the board.
Correction 3/5/2015: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of incumbent school board members who lost their seats.
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About The Author
Alicia Freese
Bio:
Alicia Freese was a Seven Days staff writer from 2014 through 2018.
Alicia Freese was a Seven Days staff writer from 2014 through 2018.
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About the Artist
Matthew Thorsen
Bio:
Matthew Thorsen was a photographer for Seven Days 1995-2018. Read all about his life and work here.
Matthew Thorsen was a photographer for Seven Days 1995-2018. Read all about his life and work here.
