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Falls Village sees 12.4% rise in school costs

FALLS VILLAGE — Education spending for Falls Village will increase by $371,641 (12.4 percent) to a total of $3,433,670 under the proposed spending plan for 2019-20, presented to the Board of Finance by Board of Education Chair Pat Mechare on Monday, March 25.

The bulk of the increase is in the towns assessment for Region One, which is $1,456,345, an increase of $278,986 (23.7 percent).

The increase for Lee H. Kellogg school, is for $92,655 (4.92 percent), for a total of $1,977,325.

Most of the LHK increase is in salaries ($21,083) and benefits ($70,673).

The town’s school board is in contract negotiations with non-certified staff. Mechare said she hopes the employees will agree to change their health insurance plan to the same state plan the certified staff use. She said the switch could take “thousands and thousands of dollars” off the bottom line.

But those negotiations will probably not conclude until early May, she added. 

Typically, the finance board holds the public hearing on the municipal and education spending plans in April and the town meeting occurs in mid-May. 

The meeting adjourned without setting a public hearing date. The next regular meeting of the Board of Finance is Monday, April 8, 6:30 p.m.

Lakeville Journal

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