Otter Valley budget hike called 'slight'

Otter Valley Unified Union School District's proposed spending increase for next year is "slight," according to a February 28, 2020, report in the Rutland Herald. The newspaper noted that the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget is 2.22 percent higher than the current budget.

The budget was presented to the public at the annual school district meeting, February 26, 2020, at the Otter Valley Union High School auditorium. The district plans to spend $20,377,427, according to its annual report. That amount results in equalized per pupil education spending of $15,399, an increase of 3.86 percent increase over the current year but reportedly still below the state average.

The annual report states that the budget increase is due in large part to an increase in the cost of health insurance.

District residents will vote on the budget proposal at the usual polling places on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Voting in the Town of Whiting will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.

The school district is comprised of the towns of Whiting, Sudbury, Leicester, Brandon, Pittsford and Goshen. It includes Otter Creek Academy (preschool/elementary school with campuses in Whiting, Sudbury and Leicester), Neshobe School (preschool/elementary school in Forest Dale, serving Brandon, Forest Dale and Goshen), Lothrop School (preschool/elementary school in Pittsford) and Otter Valley Union Middle and High School (Brandon).