Budget Information

An image showing the tax rate decreases for each town in the district if this proposed budget is adopted

Vote Results

2025 Official Election Results

Our MVSD budget passed and congratulations to all our incumbent board members and officers for winning their seats again.

ARTICLE I To elect from the legal voters of said District the following officers:

A Moderator for a term of one (1) year, Tim Magnant 1373 votes

A Clerk for a term of two (2) years: Nola Gilbert 1339 votes

A Treasurer for a term of three (3) years: Julie Rivers 1319 votes

A MVSD School Director for a term of three (3) years from Franklin: Peter Magnant 1332 votes

A MVSD School Director for a term of three (3) years from Highgate: Renick Darnel Martin 1247 votes

A MVSD School Director for the remainder of a three (3) year term from Highgate: Elaine Nester 1283 votes

A MVSD School Director for a term of three (3) years from Swanton: Don Collins 757 votes Casey Hansen 557 votes

ARTICLE II Shall the voters of the Missisquoi Valley School District approve the School Directors to expend $50,956,879 which is the amount the School Directors have determined to be necessary for the ensuing fiscal year? The District estimates that this proposed budget, if approved, will result in a per pupil education spending of $12,190, which is 2.89% higher than the per pupil spending for the current year. YES 782 NO 674

ARTICLE III Shall the voters of the Missisquoi Valley School District authorize the Board of Directors of the said School District to borrow money to pay the current expenditures in anticipation of taxes and to sign notes for that purpose? YES 921 NO 534

Proposed Budget: $50,956,879

One-Page Budget Summary

This is a 4% increase from last year, and it will allow us to continue meeting the increasing needs of our growing population of students. By strategic investment in our personnel, facilities, and programs that have the most impact on student success, we’ll be able to carry on providing a high-quality education while also bringing tax rates down from last year!

This budget comes in just under the 3% increase per student spending that the governor recommended to help stabilize education spending in the state, and we’re proud to set the example for other districts in Vermont of sustainable budgets that still prioritize student outcomes.

Online Budget Book

(Print Version)

Frequently Asked Questions

How can the school budget go up, and the tax rate come down?

Property taxes are calculated from a wide variety of factors, and the total number of the school budget only plays a small role in the equation. Here are some of the major reasons tax rates are dropping this year compared to last year.

Our student population is trending up
The ratio of students with greater support needs is trending up, increasing funding from state and federal programs
Intentional and strategic use of grant revenues
Lower budgets state-wide reducing the overall Homestead Yield

How much is staffing impacted in this budget?

Staff expenses are by far the largest part of our school budget, and we work hard to ensure we budget for the right number of staff for our students and that we are able to recruit and retain the right people to fill those positions. After careful consideration of student needs within the district we have cut the equivalent of about 7 full-time positions. Some of these cuts are from central office or from vacant positions that are no longer necessary. There are still some open positions throughout the district that we hope to fill this school year to make sure that all of the supports are in place for our students to thrive.

What is the difference between Fiscal Level Funding and Service Level Funding?

Fiscal Level Funding is when the budget remains the same from one year to the next. Service Level Funding is when an equal level of services are maintained from one year to the next. This budget is slightly higher than last year's, but the services the district provides will remain the same, so this is a Service Level Funded Budget. With factors like inflation and the state negotiating a mandatory raise in employee benefit costs, it is not possible to maintain Service Level Funding without some increases to the budget.

Warning Annual Meeting for Missisquoi Valley School District

The legal voters of the Missisquoi Valley School District, consisting of the Towns of Franklin, Highgate, and Swanton, are hereby notified, and warned to meet to transact the following business by Australian ballot in their respective polling places hereinafter named for each of the above referenced towns on March 4, 2025 at the polling places and times hereinafter listed.

ARTICLE I To elect from the legal voters of said District the following officers:

A Moderator for a term of one (1) year,
A Clerk for a term of two (2) years,
A Treasurer for a term of three (3) years,
A MVSD School Director for a term of three (3) years from Franklin,
A MVSD School Director for a term of three (3) years from Highgate,
A MVSD School Director for the remainder of a three (3) year term from Highgate,
A MVSD School Director for a term of three (3) years from Swanton.

ARTICLE II Shall the voters of the Missisquoi Valley School District approve the School Directors to
expend $50,956,879 which is the amount the School Directors have determined to be necessary for the
ensuing fiscal year? The District estimates that this proposed budget, if approved, will result in a per
pupil education spending of $12,190, which is 2.89% higher than the per pupil spending for the current
year.

ARTICLE Ill Shall the voters of the Missisquoi Valley School District authorize the Board of Directors of
the said School District to borrow money to pay the current expenditures in anticipation of taxes and to
sign notes for that purpose?

Said persons and voters warned are further notified that voter qualification, registration, absentee voting, and voter procedures shall be in accordance with Chapters 43 and 51 of Title 17 VSA. The legal voters of the School District are further notified that an Informational Meeting will be held in person at Missisquoi Valley Union High School Library and electronically via Zoom on February 11, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of explaining the budget items to the voters. The link to access this virtual meeting will be posted on the MVSD Website, mvsdschools.org, and MVSD social media prior to the meeting.

Printable PDF

Sample Ballot

Informational Videos

How This Budget Impacts Our Schools

Christie Martin, MVU Principal in charge of the Middle School, talks a bit about how the school budget is used to provide the best outcomes possible for our students!

Prioritizing student success means that we closely examine data on our instruction materials and practices, and invest in what works best. In this video, Highgate Principal Yeshua Pastina talks about how this method works for students while keeping costs down. Teachers, Caylin Bessette, Bethany Bartlett and Marilynn McSweeney also share their experiences with some of our latest curriculum updates, and student Kierssa Severey comments on improvements in school culture.

School staff are the largest and most important part of our school budget. Swanton Principal Chris Dodge and Assistant Principal Jess Bourbeau discuss some of what the staff are doing everyday to make MVSD such a great place for students to learn as well as the school and district commitment to finding the right team for this important work. This year's proposed budget has made cuts to central office staff and eliminated some vacant positions to ensure we allocate resources to the staffing that will benefit students the most while still reducing the tax burden on our community.

Professional Development is a key benefit provided to MVSD employees in the school budget. Joyce Hakey, Principal of Franklin Central School, and teachers Laura Sullivan and Ashley Bachelder talk about how Professional Development positively impacts students. Not only that, it also makes our district more attractive to new teachers and motivates experienced teachers to stay where their expertise is cultivated and valued.

How School Funding Works in Vermont

A brief animated overview of how education funding works in Vermont from Vermont Public.

A chart showing the tax savings for a $200,000 homestead in each of the towns within the district

a chart showing the tax rate savings for each of the towns within the district

3 Year Budget Comparison

Informational Meeting Presentation

The annual School Budget Informational Meeting took place on February 11th. The school board presented these slides with additional details about the proposed budget and answered questions for the community.

Community Survey Results

Community Input Forum Budget Presentation

On January 14th, MVSD hosted a community input forum to discuss the most recent draft of next year's school budget. This presentation was shared to provide some context for the discussion and features a lot of information about the budget as well as the strategies and goals that have guided it's development.