April Burbank

Free Press Staff Writer

On the heels of a school budget vote that passed by only 68 votes, the head of the Burlington School Board said Tuesday that he welcomes the challenge of proving that the school district's finances are changing for good.

The night ended with 3,259 votes in favor of the new budget and 3,191 against, according to unofficial results.

The budget vote followed the first budget defeat in Burlington since 2003 and three months of tumult in the school district as the School Board discovered problems with budgeting and overspending.

"I think the closeness of the vote shows that there are strong feelings on both sides, and I don't think that that's all bad," said School Board Chairman Patrick Halladay of Ward 5.

"I'm glad that some people need convincing," Halladay added. "We've said all along that we've asked people to trust us that we're taking the right steps. ... We hope as we continue to show people that we're serious about getting better fiscal management in the district, that they will come to trust the board."

The $67.4 million budget carries a 7.2 percent residential education property tax increase. The new tax rate is pegged at $1.635, raising taxes by about $110 per $100,000 of home value. Many Burlington residents pay less based on income.

Unofficial results also showed Kat Kleman winning the Ward 2 School Board seat with 246 votes, taking the seat of Meredith Woodward King, who is moving away.

Two seek Burlington School Board seats

In Ward 1, unofficial results showed School Board candidate Mark Porter winning retiring School Commissioner Keith Pillsbury's seat by 19 votes.

Porter received 237 votes compared to 218 write-in votes for Karen Newman, who launched her campaign the weekend before the election. Porter did not support the budget proposal, while Newman did.

On Town Meeting Day in March, voters rejected a lower $66.9 million proposal by a margin of about 700 votes.

The revised proposal passed Tuesday in Wards 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 but went down in the New North End's Ward 4 and Ward 7.

Ron Jacobs of Ward 6 voted in favor of the budget, one of many people who said a vote for the budget was a vote for strong Burlington schools.

"You don't penalize students and teachers for the mismanagement at the top," Jacobs said. "I mean, you've got to take care of your kids."

Some who voted against the budget cited the school district's financial challenges, while others were concerned about property taxes.

"The budget's just gone up and up and up," said Danielle Parent of Ward 7. "We don't have unlimited funds as homeowners and taxpayers."

Reaction around the city

Even supporters of the school budget focused on the slim margin on Tuesday night.

Mayor Miro Weinberger, who in the months after Town Meeting Day called for a new superintendent and proposed more city oversight of school finances, ultimately endorsed the spending plan.

"With today's vote, the people of Burlington once again have demonstrated that they place great value on having an excellent school system," Weinberger said in a statement.

The mayor said the close numbers, however, should tell the School Board to "make good on this opportunity to correct the District's financial troubles," and should remind other officials to stem "unsustainable education cost trends."

School Commissioner Scot Shumski, one of the most vocal opponents of the budget proposal, issued a measured statement.

"I caution folks from both sides of this issue to refrain from displaying too much emotion — either celebration or anger," wrote Shumski, one of the organizers of the group Burlingtonians for Better Education and Sustainability. "We must remain sensitive to those individuals who are most directly related to the impact of this vote — from either its passage or defeat — folks such as the 16 para-educators, individuals, who lost their job regardless and are not celebrating tonight."

Shumski's opposition group spent less than $1,000 in the lead-up to the election, he said Monday.

On the other side of the issue, the Burlington Friends of Education spent $3,058 on a pro-budget campaign, the group reported to the state in a pre-election filing.

"Obviously, we're delighted in the outcome tonight that showed that a majority of Burlington voters support the school budget and the direction of the new School Board," said Chris Hood, treasurer of the Burlington Friends of Education. "It was a very close vote, and I think it's really important that the voices of the opposition be heard as we move forward."

According to the unofficial results, 6,450 Burlington voters participated in the special election, of whom 892 were absentee voters. The March election had drawn 7,707 voters.

The revised spending plan followed revelations that the district's flawed budgeting processes in the past had led to consistent deficits.

"I think the budget defeat in March was a wake up call to Burlington citizens to start paying more attention to school budgeting and financing in general," said Hood, the Burlington Friends of Education treasurer.

Superintendent Jeanne Collins, who is stepping down June 30, thanked voters for the budget result.

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"I'm very happy for the sake of our students that this budget passed, and I appreciate all of the hard work that went into the budget by community members and the board," Collins said. "I am confident that Burlington Schools is headed in the right direction."

Last month, the School Board announced a $225,000 separation and settlement agreement with Collins, who has since accepted another superintendent job with the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union.

The School Board still has a significant amount of work ahead, said Halladay, the board chairman, including promised fiscal controls. The board is also searching for an interim superintendent and new finance director.

The School Board has gathered a list of approximately 25 to 30 interim superintendent candidates, which has been narrowed to eight or nine, Halladay said.

"We're moving quickly," Halladay said. "Potentially even within the next two weeks would certainly be our hope."

Note: Retiring School Commissioner Keith Pillsbury represents Ward 1, and School Commissioner Meredith Woodward King is from Ward 2. That information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.

Contact April Burbank at 660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank

Burlington unofficial results:

$67.4 million school budget vote:

Ward 1: 346 yes, 187 no

Ward 2: 261 yes, 99 no

Ward 3: 355 yes, 179 no

Ward 4: 668 yes, 936 no

Ward 5: 739 yes, 479 no

Ward 6: 432 yes, 394 no

Ward 7: 458 yes, 917 no

Total: 3,259 yes, 3,191 no

Ward 1 school commissioner:

Mark Porter: 237 votes

Karen Newman: 218 write-in votes

Ward 2 school commissioner:

Kat Kleman: 246 votes