By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

Despite the presence of a few big-ticket items, including a new teacher contract, Auburn officials expect the school portion of the tax rate to drop if everything passes at the upcoming School District Meeting on Friday, March 11.

Before that meeting, voters will have their say on candidates for town and school amendments, when they vote on Tuesday, March 8. There are no contested races.

Teacher raises
The current teacher contract ends in June and the new contract calls for an increase of $129,894. That is the biggest increase in the three-year contract. Superintendent of School Administrative School Unit (SAU) 15 Armand LaSelva said the contract includes a little more than a cost-of-living increase for teachers who are already on the top step of the pay scale.

There are 50 teachers in Auburn and all will experience a cost-of-living increase, but LaSelva said it was time to give a little more than that to teachers who had reached a salary ceiling. The second year of the contract will be for $120,516 and the third year, $125,371.

Safety concerns
Voters will decide whether to install a security system at the Auburn Village School.

“Our first responsibility is to make sure the youngsters are safe,” LaSelva said. “We should have a security system in the school when children are in the building.”

The warrant article asks for $27,500 to install the system. Hooksett and Candia are the other two school districts in SAU 15, and Hooksett has a security system, while Candia will vote on one this year as well.

“This is something that has been suggested that all schools look into,” said school board Chairman Elaine Hobbs. “Because we have portables, we need to be able to get kids back into the building with card swipes.”

School land
Article 4 asks voters to authorize the school board to put $549,726 of extra money from state grants into an account to purchase land for a new school. Hobbs said the school board hopes to present a parcel of land for purchase to voters in 2006. Although there aren’t any land prospects available now, a committee is currently looking. If the money is not put into a fund for land, it will be returned to the town’s general fund and could be used for tax relief.

Fences
Voters will also decide if they want to spend $20,000 to fence in the playing fields behind the school.

“The fields up on the hill are being continuously run over with snowmobiles and ATVs,” Hobbs said. “It ruins the grass on the fields and makes them unsafe because rocks are showing. We want to make sure the soccer field and baseball diamond are satisfactory. This is another safety precaution.”

Other articles
Warrant Article 5 asks for $10,000 for the special education expendable trust fund. The money is used annually for outof- district placements or special services for special needs students.

Article 3 asks for $8,738,795 for an operating budget. The number is a .02 percent increase from last year. Because of an expected increase in revenues, the projected tax rate is expected to go down, however.

The local school tax rate for 2004 was $10.06 and the 2005 projection is $9.79, according to Business Administrator to the Superintendent Sally Waterhouse. Waterhouse said the number could easily change, but an increase in revenues is expected to drop the rate slightly.

The annual School District Meeting will take place at Auburn Village School on Friday, March 11, at 7 p.m.