Hopkinton adds $200K to warrant

On top of an operating budget of $16,103,592, the Hopkinton School District will be asking voters to approve an additional $238,468 on the warrant. Those monies are for expendable trusts and two collective bargaining agreements.

Coupled with the budget, these monies would have a tax impact of $0.39/1,000.

Hopkinton residents voted against the past two HEA agreements, which covers teachers, guidance counselors and nurses, the district has brought forth, at the March District Meeting and a Special Town Meeting in October.

The district responded to those failures by bringing forth a two-year CBA with a total cost in 2010-11 of $61,209, half of what they asked for in October and a quarter of what the district asked for in March.

In 2011-12 the cost of the agreement would be $47,755, and under Evergreen the cost in 2012-13 would be $45,459.

Those covered by HEA would remain on the same salary schedule in the first year as 2008-09, with a $750 Cost of Living Adjustment.

In the second year, teachers would receive their step increase or a $1,050 COLA.

The agreement also creates two more workdays for veteran staff, and three additional days for new staff to be used for professional development. The equivalent cash value to the district of these additional days is approximately $69,000.

Additionally the CBA features an overall reduction in benefits, primarily a reduction to prescription benefits that would save the district $62,337.

The agreement would also increase the life insurance benefit, a cost of $9,367, and increase orthodontic benefits, a cost of just under two thousand dollars.

Under this agreement, the district would also create Health FLEX accounts and contribute $200 for each teacher, a cost of $19,640. Unused monies in these accounts, including any put in by the teacher, would be returned to the district.

The last component of the HEA agreement is a reduction in tuition reimbursement and early retirement, to a total tune of approximately $35,000.

The HESS agreement, which covers instructional assistants, is a one-year agreement with a proposed increase of $2,259 in addition to an Evergreen increase already budgeted in 2010-11 of $27,728.

The Evergreen cost for 2011-12 would decrease to $24,641 because step salaries would be reduced.

If the proposed HESS agreement passes, instructional assistants will stay on the same salary schedule as 2008-09. They would get a STEP increase and longevity or those employees who are maxed out would get a $400 COLA.

This agreement also features a reduction to prescription benefits that would save the district $8,116.

In March, the district will also be asking voters to add $75,000 from the year-end fund balance to the Repair and Maintenance Trust, which currently has a balance of $175,490. Estimated withdrawals from this trust are $40,000/year and Superintendent Steve Chamberlin would like to see the fund's balance at $200,000.

The district is also proposing the creation of two new expendable trust accounts, a Vehicle Capital Reserve Account and a Health Insurance Capital Reserve Account.

The warrant will ask voters to approve seed funding of $25,000 from the year-end fund balance to the Vehicle Capital Reserve Account, which would smooth out the cost impact of future vehicle purchases.

According to the district, the creation of a Health Insurance Capital Reserve Account would smooth out the cost impacts of changes in health insurance premiums. The district is proposing seed funding of $25,000 from the year-end fund balance to this account.