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FY25 Budget Information

Vote June 4, 7 am - 7 pm

FY25 Budget Book

The following budget book outlines the changes and new documents related to the revised FY25 budget as approved by the MTSD School Board and voted upon on April 16.

  1. Budget
    1. Approved Proposed Budget (6/4 Vote)

  2. Revenue
    1. General Fund Revenues & Revenue Details

  3. Expenses
    1. Expenses by Function (Chart)
      The "Expenses by Function" chart displays how financial resources are allocated across various operational areas, offering insight into our budgetary priorities.

  4. Vote Information
    1. June 4 Warn
    2. Budget Presentation
    3. Budget Info Sheet
    4. FY25 Version 3 Talking Points
    5. MTSD Budget Voting Record

Education Tax Rate Increase

Because homes in Milton have been selling for more than what they were valued at before, the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) percentage has gone down. This means that when we calculate the tax rate, the final number is divided by this lower percentage, resulting in a higher tax rate. As a consequence, the town needs to contribute more money towards education taxes, as we receive less from the state in return due to the increased home sales.

Line Graph
Revised Proposed Budget Vote
June 4, 2024
 
Revised FY25 Budget Numbers
 
Budget Vote
April 16, 2024
 
Original FY25 Budget Numbers
 
Original Budget Vote
March 5, 2024
 
Original FY25 Budget Numbers

FY25 Budget Book (March 5 Vote)

Your guide to the Milton Town School District Budget. Every year the district receives key information from the state that arrives on specific dates; as that information becomes available, we add it to our budget book. The following budget book will be populated with links shortly.

  1. Budget
    1. Approved Proposed Budget (1/18/24)
    2. Budget One-Pager
  2. Revenue
    1. General Fund Revenues & Revenue Details
  3. General Information
    1. Tax Commissioner Letter
    2. MTSD Audit Report
    3. Winter Newsletter (Budget Edition)
  4. Act 68 and Tax Rate
    1. Tax Increase per Assessed Property Value
    2. Three-Year Tax Comparison
  5. Budget Presentations
    1. Tax Cap & Rate Review
    2. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 3/4
    3. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 2/22
    4. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 2/8
    5. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 1/18
    6. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 1/11
    7. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 12/7
    8. MTSD Board Budget Presentation 11/2
  6. Budget Vote Information
    1. Warning
    2. MTSD Budget Voting Record
*Additional information and section links will be added as budget information is confirmed.
 

Ask Us Anything Questions & Answers

How much money do we receive in Special Education Reimbursement?
For FY25 we expect to receive $3,806,395 from the Census Block Grant and $480,795 in extraordinary costs reimbursements. 
  • Extraordinary cost is the amount of money we receive after our costs exceed $66,446 (current rate) per child. After that point, we receive a 95% reimbursement.
  • The Census Block Grant is the amount the State gives us based on an average 3 year student count for IEP services. 
 
What is the 9% decrease in local revenue associated with?
The majority of the decline is associated with less funding from the Census Block Grant. 
How does the state decide how much money to send to Milton? Here is how the law related to the grant reads: 
The calculation for each transition year and includes For fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026, the amount of the census grant for a supervisory union shall be determined by multiplying the supervisory union’s long-term membership by a base amount established under this subdivision. The base amounts for each supervisory union for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026 shall move gradually the supervisory union’s fiscal year 2023 base amount to the fiscal year 2027 uniform base amount by prorating the change between the supervisory union’s fiscal year 2023 base amount and the fiscal year 2027 uniform base amount over this three-fiscal-year period.

Ultimately, what this means for Milton is that in FY25 we will receive $408,963 less than in FY24.

Another potential area of revenue is tuition students. There has been a slight decline in the number of students tuition into MTSD
 
What is representative of ACT 127?
This was all in place prior to Act 127; therefore ACT 127 has no impact on our Revenue 
 
How much of our school’s budget is for mandated spending? I think if the town knew this, they’d be more likely to vote yes
The VT Education Quality Standards and State Statute outline (mandate) public school “must dos”. It includes both the educational side and the operational side. It is a very extensive document. Our budget is a determinant of the staffing, services and materials necessary to carry out these mandates. Finance and Governance are not included in the current EQS, but have been added to the new version which is under final review. 
The MTSD does include some programming that is not mandated by the State, but is either necessary for college entrance (world language; engineering/technology; advance placement) or is very helpful for students and families (driver’s education; athletics and clubs; home to school bussing and co-curricular bussing).
Bussing and Co-curricular are easy to isolate and they equate to roughly 3 million dollars of the total budget. To determine the savings created by eliminating educational programming (not mandated by the State) requires a twofold exercise. First, you need to determine the impact of any program elimination on class size and teacher FTE. For example, removing AP classes may only reduce staff by .50 FTE by department, but increase class size from 18 to 28 for the remaining classes in that department. Once you determine the feasibility of these decisions, you would then calculate the portion of the department’s budget allocation to that program, the staff salaries and benefits.
 

Frequently Asked Questions & Question of the Week

Question of the Week

What is Act 127

Last year Vermont passed a new law, Act 127, to improve student access to education statewide. The new law changed the funding formula used to determine how much money each school receives from the State Education Fund. The goal of the new law is to:
  • Increase educational equity by changing the the funding formula.
  • Improve educational outcomes.
  • Improve transparency by simplifying the education funding formula.
  • Enhance educational & financial accountability by making sure equitable resources are provided.
For more information on the new law, visit legislature.vermont.gov/statutes, Title 16 V.S.A. § 4010.
Question of the Week

How do I vote?

There are a few ways to get your ballot and vote ahead of the town meeting day.
Question of the Week

How does School Healthcare work?

Act 11 - Health Care Coverage
Passed in 2018, Act 11 created the Commission on Public School Employee Health Benefits.
 
In the past, school districts negotiated health care cost-sharing and criteria through local collective bargaining.
 
The commission determines the cost of health care premiums, out-of-pocket expenses, eligibility criteria, full-time employment status, and Tiers of Coverage.
 
This year the healthcare premium increase was 16.4%.

Board Q&A Sessions

Arrowhead Lodge
May 24, 5-7 pm
 
River Street Park
May 25, 11:30-2 pm
 
Two Boot Saloon
May 27, 6-8 pm
 
McDonald's
May 29, 5-7 pm
 
Budget Social
May 30, 6-8 pm
 
Milton Diner
June 2, 10-1 pm
 
Fire Station
June  3, 5-7 pm
 
BUDGET RE-VOTE
June 4, 7 am-7 pm

Resources

Glossary of Terms
History of Education Tax Funding
Education Tax Rate Calculations