Sharon budget hearing Friday, April 30

SHARON — A public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2010-11 budget will be held on Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

The proposed town budget for the coming year, which begins July 1, is $2,855,379, an increase of $138,984 or 5.1 percent from this year’s budget.

First Selectman Bob Loucks said the increase is mainly due to the need for road repairs. He said many of the town’s roads are in very rough shape, although he did not specify which ones.

The Sharon Center School Board of Education is proposing a budget of $6,284,520 for fiscal 2010-11.

However, according to Principal Karen Manning, the town’s share of the education budget will increase by just .94 percent, from $3,580,828 in the last fiscal year to $3,614,461. The balance of the budget will be made up from state funding and other sources.

Manning cited the cutting of two full-time teachers from this year’s budget as one reason why the increase is low.

The Board of Education has recommended 2-percent raises for non-certified staff. The school’s teachers are in the second year of a two-year contract and will receive an average increase in their salaries of 4 percent.

Manning said, for the second year in a row, she will not take a raise and will be paid $107,095.

Two weeks later, the annual town meeting — for residents to vote on the proposed budget — will be held on Friday, May 14, at 8 p.m. at Town Hall.

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