GRANVILLE – The Town of Granville held their annual town meeting in the gymnasium of the Granville Village School on Monday night. Twenty two warrant articles were published and voted on by the town’s registered voters.
With Town Moderator Richard Pierce running the meeting, there were two warrant articles in particular that received the majority of the discussion.
Article 3 was put forth to vote to raise and appropriate or transfer a sum of $1,807,340.00 for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District budget for the fiscal year 2018 which starts July 1, 2017 and runs until June 30, 2018.
The Granville Annual Town Meeting was held in the gymnasium of the Granville Village School on Monday night. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Residents voted 30-3 against the school district’s request. Granville Select Board member Ted Sussman was concerned with the budget request and what the district’s priorities are.
“It depends where you put your priorities,” said Sussman. “Granville has been pro-education forever.”
Superintendent Jen Willard noted at the meeting that some teachers would be losing their positions for next school year.
Willard pointed out that the eventual loss of teachers will be due to the 92 students that the school district has lost in the past year.
“That is an enrollment issue,” said Willard. “That is not a budget issue.”
Needing two out of three towns in the district to vote in favor of the request, Tolland has voted in favor, and Southwick’s decision will be revealed during their annual town meeting on May 16.
Article 4 also pertained to the school district as they requested to borrow $600,000 in total from all three towns in the district. The borrowing of the $600,000 would go towards the school district’s Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Improvement Plan.
Granville residents voted 30-4 against Article 4. The Capital Improvement Plan included a variety of different repairs, replacements, and equipment throughout the district.
Granville’s Town Moderator, Richard Pierce, introduced all of the warrant articles during the annual town meeting. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Willard and the rest of the school district needed the support from all three towns. Each town would be allowing the district to borrow a certain amount as Granville would be giving them about 13% of the $600,000, where Southwick would allow the district to borrow around 85%.
Pam Petschke, who is the Granville representative for the school committee and a Granville resident, was one of the few people who voted in favor of Article 4. She believes that technology is an integral part of the Capital Improvement Plan.
“I feel that technology is a major priority of all the buildings in the district,” said Petschke.
Sussman was one of many individuals who voted against Article 4, and felt that the $600,000 was unnecessary. He noted that before Granville joined the school district in 2011, the Capital Improvement Plan was $350,000. The items for the Fiscal Year 2018 plan are not clear enough for the Select Board member.
“The case hasn’t been talked about what they are and why they’re needed,” said Sussman.
Despite the fact that the town of Granville voted against the school district’s request, Willard mentioned that there are other options that the district can look at. According to Willard, those options will be addressed at the next school committee meeting on May 16.
