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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE-2.020 ATM 25 March 2020
<br /> a share of the debt service for new building. This capital fee revenue is applied to the following year's debt
<br /> service, reducing assessments for member towns. For out-of-district students that receive SPED services,
<br /> their sending towns are assessed for supplemental SPED tuition. The district will be recommending an
<br /> increase in the out-of-district per-student SPED tuition from$6,200 to$7,400,in order to cover actual costs.
<br /> Despite these fees, out-of-district students are effectively subsidized by member towns. DESE set the base
<br /> out-of-district tuition rate at $17,965 per student in FY2019 (expected to increase 2.5% to $18,414 for
<br /> FY2020). This does not cover the full cost of district education, nor is the state Chapter 70 aid for out-of-
<br /> district students sent to MRHS. If the school was fully enrolled with only in-district students, our calcula-
<br /> tions suggest that per-student assessment costs would fall by up to 30%,bringing them in line with the state
<br /> average.
<br /> District Budget Overview
<br /> This is the first budget built since occupying the new school and is a transitional step towards an accurate
<br /> base budget. It addresses the needs of increased enrollment and maintenance of the new building,grounds,
<br /> and equipment.
<br /> With the anticipated enrollment for the FY2021 freshman class the school will be above its 628-student
<br /> capacity. This follows an even larger enrollment increase from FY2019 to FY2020.As of October 1,2019,
<br /> 602 full-time students(high school and post-graduate)were enrolled.Roughly 66%of high school students
<br /> were from the ten in-district towns.Total full-time enrollment increased from October 2018,by 86 students,
<br /> with in-district enrollment increasing 41 students and out-of-district enrollment increasing 45 students.
<br /> Staffing changes include a net increase in academic, vocational, administrative, and support staff of 2.5
<br /> FTEs. This enrollment-driven increase follows a cumulative reduction in staff of 19.5 FTE since FY2015,
<br /> after enrollment peaked in FY2014. Salaries for FY2021,which make up 60%of the operating budget,will
<br /> increase by a total of$583,000 after factoring in contractual obligations. Funding for technology,allowing
<br /> each student to have a computer,will increase by $108,583.
<br /> The total health insurance budget is increasing by $317,548 (8%) based on insurance experience and in-
<br /> creased staffing. Debt service payments for FY2021 rise to $5,092,385 (+41%) as debt service for the new
<br /> building ramps up. A $60,000 (+20%) payment will be made toward the funding of the District's
<br /> $22,945,000 Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) unfunded liability. The OPEB liability will be re-
<br /> calculated in June 2020.
<br /> Roughly 32%of the revenue in the MRHS FY2021 budget comes from a combination of state aid,reserves,
<br /> and fees shown in the table below. In total, this non-assessment revenue increased by $1,253,604 in
<br /> FY2021, due in large part to the new out-of-district capital fee. Chapter 70 funds and transportation aid are
<br /> estimates based on the Governor's H-2 budget, which proposes modest increases in Chapter 70 aid and
<br /> transportation aid statewide compared with FY2020. MRHS's share of Chapter 70 aid increases slightly
<br /> and Transportation Aid increases 17.39%. Both are based on October 2019 enrollments.
<br /> Non-Assessment Revenue Sources FY2020 FY2021 Change $
<br /> Chapter 70 $2,092,403 $2,095,633 $3,230
<br /> Transportation Aid $832,392 $977,179 $144,787
<br /> Prior Year Tuition $3,047,131 $3,048,695 $1,564
<br /> Current Year Tuition $400,000 $600,000 $200,000
<br /> Excess and Deficiency(E&D)Funds $540,000 $540,000 —
<br /> Out-of-district Capital Fee $904,023 $904,023
<br /> Total $6,911,926 $8,165,530 $1,253,604
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