Westmoreland School District budget proposal down 4.8 percent

Feb. 26—WESTMORELAND — Town residents will consider this year's school district warrant over the course of two virtual meetings, beginning this evening, before voting March 10.

Here's a look at the Westmoreland School District warrant:

Budget proposal: The $3,841,164 operating budget proposed by the school board and budget committee is 4.8 percent less than the $4,033,925 budget voters approved last year.

Other warrant articles include:

Appropriating up to $125,000 of the district's unassigned fund balance at the end of the current fiscal year to repave the Westmoreland School parking lot and basketball court. If there are not sufficient funds left over on June 30, the remainder of the project's cost will come out of the district's capital reserve fund.

Appropriating $25,000 to the special education/high school tuition fund using money from the district's unassigned fund balance at the end of the current fiscal year.

Contested races: None

School district meeting: Because of the pandemic, Westmoreland isn't holding its usual in-person school district meeting this year. Instead, residents will vote on warrant articles and candidates for office at the polls Wednesday, March 10, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. In-person voting will be held in Westmoreland School's gymnasium, and drive-thru voting is available in front of the school.

Prior to that, tonight at 7, the district is hosting a virtual information session for the school and town warrants. Information for how to view the event remotely on Zoom is available on the district website at https://wes.sau29.org/. After that meeting, voters will have until the end of the day Monday, March 1, to submit questions and comments, which will be addressed at a subsequent meeting March 4 at 7 p.m. The final warrant will be posted on the district website Saturday, March 6.

Jack Rooney can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1404, or jrooney@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @RooneyReports.