January 6th, 2025- School Board Meeting
At the January 6th school board meeting, the St. Johnsbury School Board approved the proposed FY 2026 budget, which totals $30,217,239, reflecting a 3.19% increase from last year. The proposed budget also results in an anticipated property homestead tax rate decrease of $0.01, bringing the rate down to $1.78. Superintendent Karen Conroy provided a brief presentation on the budget. Answers to frequently asked questions are available on the district's FAQ page, and additional questions can be submitted via the Connect with Us page found on our website at stjsd.org.
December 16th, 2024- School Board Meeting
St. Johnsbury School District Presents FY 2026 Budget Proposal
At the December 16th board meeting, Karen Conroy presented the latest version of the draft FY26 budget (version #3). This budget reflects an increase of $935,486, or 3.19%, over FY25, bringing the total operating budget to $30,217,239. The tax rate impact remains uncertain, as the district is still awaiting the accurate Long-Term Weighted Average Daily Membership (LTW ADM), which is necessary for calculating the tax rate for St. Johnsbury. The board did not vote on the budget during this meeting and has decided to delay further discussion until the LTW ADM data is available and the estimated tax rate is calculated. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 6th at 6 p.m. where the board is expected to vote on the FY 26 budget proposal. No additional finance committee meetings scheduled at this time.
The proposed budget details, copies of the line-by-line budget and a copy of the presentation from December 16th are available at the following links:
December 9th, 2024 - Community Forum
St. Johnsbury School District Presents FY 2026 Budget Proposal
On Monday, December 9th, 2024, the St. Johnsbury School District hosted a Community Forum and shared the proposed budget for FY 2026 with a budget of $30,251,502 which is an increase of 3.34% over the previous fiscal year. During the meeting, Superintendent Karen Conroy provided an overview of the district’s current needs and outlined proposed changes to the school’s staffing model.
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Copies of the line-by-line budget, the community forum presentation, and the budget summary are available at the following links:
December 2nd, 2024 - School Board Meeting
The St. Johnsbury School District administration shared the second version of the FY26 budget proposal at the School Board meeting on Monday, December 2, 2024. This proposal was created based on the guidelines set at the Finance Committee meeting on November 21, which asked the district to keep the overall budget increase from the FY25 budget to no more than 3.5%. The new proposal shows a decrease of about $400,000 from the original draft and keeps the increase at 3.5% compared to last year's budget.
Superintendent Karen Conroy presented the new budget plan, which includes a recommended cut of $407,916, reducing the budget from $30,714,684 to $30,306,768.
These cuts will affect several areas, including Outdoor Education, Plant Operations, Early Childhood programs, Regular Education support, and other smaller expenses. Some of the changes include reducing outdoor education field trips, using the Capital Reserve Fund for maintenance projects, cutting one kindergarten classroom due to fewer students, and lowering the number of unfilled paraprofessional positions. These changes were discussed in detail during the meeting.
These slides were presented at the December 2nd, 2024 School Board meeting.
A recording of the meeting can be found here.
A Community Forum is scheduled for Monday, December 9th, 2024 at 6:00PM.
November 21st, 2024- Finance Committee Meeting
The STJSD Finance Committee convened on November 21, 2024, to discuss the preliminary development of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) budget. During the meeting, Superintendent Karen Conroy presented two primary budget scenarios for consideration: a level-funded budget and a level-service budget.
The level-funded budget proposed maintaining the same funding as the current fiscal year, resulting in a 0% increase. In contrast, the level-service budget suggested a 4.9% increase, amounting to an additional $1.4 million from the FY25 budget. This scenario aimed to ensure that existing programs and services remained intact; however, the board expressed their intent not to support this increase. Instead, they directed the administration to aim for a budget increase of no more than 3.5%.
The school board and Superintendent Karen Conroy encouraged ongoing community involvement and feedback throughout this important process, recognizing that collaboration is vital to creating a budget that balances the needs of students and the community.
These slides were presented at the November 21st, 2024 Finance Committee meeting.
November 5th, 2024 - Budget Update
Finance Committee Meeting - November 4, 2024
FY26 Budget Update
The St. Johnsbury School District Finance Committee met on November 4, 2024, to discuss budget development. Director of Finance, Jacob Wood discussed his preliminary calculations and budget assumptions which include a 12% increase in state health insurance premiums, a figure that will be refined after open enrollment concludes later this month.
A key focus of the budget discussions has been staffing, with Jacob Wood working alongside district administrators to review staffing models and identify priorities for the coming year. Special Education, in particular, will be reviewed to assess last year’s over-budgeting, which may have been caused by challenges in placing students in alternative educational settings due to limited availability. Colleen Morris advocated for the creation of an in-house alternative special education program, although she acknowledged challenges such as space and the need for specialized staff.
Jacob Wood also provided an overview of the PICUS report, commissioned by the Vermont Legislature and produced by the consulting firm Picus Odden & Associates, which analyzes Vermont's current education spending and proposes a model for more efficient spending. The report, however, is not based on current Vermont legislative regulations or requirements, but rather serves as a guide for optimal staffing based on educational best practices.
During the meeting, community input was shared by Carl Johnson, President of the Teachers Union at St. Johnsbury School who recommended adding 5th and 6th grade teaching positions back into the budget and two additional behavior staff members for the lower grades to support behavior student needs.
As part of the budget planning process, the board has scheduled several upcoming meetings to discuss and refine the FY26 budget:
Upcoming Budget Development Meetings:
November 18, 2024 - 6:00 PM: School Board Meeting
November 21, 2024 – 9:30 AM: Finance Committee Meeting (Presentation of FY26 Budget - 1st draft)
December 2, 2024 – 6:00 PM: School Board Meeting (Presentation of FY26 Budget - 1st draft)
December 9, 2024 – 8:00 AM: Finance Committee Meeting
December 9, 2024 – 6:00 PM: Community Budget Forum (Location: School Auditorium)
December 16, 2024 – 6:00 PM: School Board Meeting
The district encourages continued community participation as we work together to finalize the FY26 budget and address the needs of our students and families.
These slides were presented at the November 4th, 2024 School Board meeting.
Connect With Us!
Feedback is ongoing, please share your thoughts through the following link or QR code. We look forward to hearing from you.
Karen E. Conroy
Superintendent
St. Johnsbury School District
1216 Railroad Street, Suite C
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
(802) 745-2791
The St. Johnsbury School Board can be reached at schooboard@stjsd.org.