DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee voted last to recommend a Central Berkshire Regional School District that is up 4.19 percent for fiscal 2024.

 

That increase down from the nearly 6 percent from the intial draft. This year's budget is $29,084,048 and next year's is forecast at $30,301,466, up $1,217,418. 

 

Overall, the total assessments to the seven towns are up 2.7 percent at $17,505,621, a $387,744 increase. 

 

Dalton's total assessment is $9,064,671, a 2.01 increase over this year. Of that, operating funds are $8,752,286 and transportation is $312,385; $1,269,442 in capital expenses are down about $29,000.

 

Dalton is responsible for 61.72 percent of the budget, which is proportioned based on enrollment. 

 

The top five operating expenditures are salaries, benefits, special education services, transportation, and operations and maintenance. 

 

The revenue from Chapter 70 is expected to increase to $9,500,000, a 7.19 percent, or $600,000, change from the this year and $969,752 in regional transportation funding. This is based on the governor's budget. 

 

Overall, revenue for Chapter 71 Regional School Transportation is expected to increase to $930,962, a 31.42 percent change. 

 

The district has been working to move positions that were being funded using the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER. When the district saw that the state revenue came back higher and the state was fully funding the Student Opportunities Act, it was able to move those positions back into the operating budget for the final budget. 

 

The remnants of the pandemic are not going away but the district is conscious that it have a lot of full-time equivalents that are funded using COVID-19 money that won't be moved easily into the operating budget.  

 

The district's school choice has remained fairly consistent over the years with 200 students choosing to attend CBRSD in 2022 and the district anticipates about $1.2 million school-choice funds for fiscal 2024.