DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District is anticipating a 5.86 percent increase for fiscal 2024, which translates to nearly $2 million over this year.

 

This year's budget is $29,084,048 and next year's is forecast at $30,788,051, up $1,704,003.

 

The administration told the School Committee last week that is trying to design a fiscally responsible budget while being conscious of the overall impact to taxpayers in the seven member towns.

 

The top five operating expenditures are salaries, benefits, special education services, transportation, and operations  andmaintenance. 

 

The salaries are estimated to be $16,176.001 making up 52.5 percent of the expenditures. 

 

The benefits including the Other Post-Employment Benefits Trust Fund make up for 24.6 percent, or $7,573,571; special education services is 6 percent, or $1,836,760; transportation costs excluding special education is 5.6 percent, or $1.717.095, and making up the final 5.2 percent is operations and maintenance, at $1,590,262.

 

The district's operating budget will have a $54,866 expense for retirement contributions. Berkshire County Retirement informed the district that next year's rate increased 7.5 percent. 

 

The district can also expect an added expense of $268,500 to start paying off the minimum interest and principal for the new Wahconah Regional High School. 

 

The principal payment for the project is about $125,000. Once the project is closed out after an audit by Massachusetts School Building Authority, this assessment will leave the operating budget.

 

In terms of technology, the district will need to replace the server storage array system and camera network video recorders, adding an expense of $40,000 to the operating budget. 

 

The server storage area has not been replaced in about five to 10 years and makes up approximately 50 percent of the $40,000.

 

The district has had multiple full-time equivalents added to this year's budget but career coordinator is only that has been added to the operating budget. The position was funded through Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation for the last two years and the position has been working well, administrators said.

 

This resource is something they would like to continue to have so $30,000 was added to the operating budget to fund it. 

 

The operations budget will also have an expense of $48,000 to cover transportation. The district is moving into its second year of a five-year contract and will see a 3 percent increase each year. 

 

This year, the district is expected to have $2,748,442 in revenue from athletics, school choice, circuit breaker, food services, and grants. Fiscal 2024 is projected to increase revenues by more than a half-million to $3,502,110.