Property Valuation Is Hot Issue in Barnard

Paul Doton moderates the Barnard Town Meeting. (Herald / Bob Eddy)

In a big turnout Tuesday, Barnard voters approved town and school budgets, and returned Selectman Rock Webster to the board in a paper ballot vote.

Webster pulled in 81 votes to Beth Finlayson’s 67.

Also, in all-day Australian balloting, voters decisively passed a Woodstock Union High School budget, 220-100. Barnard is one of six towns in the high school union district.

At the 10 a.m. school meeting, voters approved a K-6 budget of $894,588, up $24,265 or 2.7%.

Barnard Elementary School has experienced big enrollment drops over the last 15 years—there are now 47 students compared to around 100 in the ‘90s. School officials are hoping to bring those figures back up again, by being the first school in the state to offer a model "Core Knowledge" curriculum, starting next year.

According to Principal Anne Koop, Barnard will also add a pre-school program next year. The changes have the support of the school board, teachers, and superintendent, Koop said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, school board member David Green and WUHS school director Andrew Cole were returned to their respective boards.

The issue of fluctuating property valuations, and a sharp increase in the listers’ budget—almost doubled from $54,000 to $100,000—was the hot topic of the meeting.

An amendment to trim $14,000 from the listers’ budget failed, however, and a town budget of $1.19 million was eventually approved.

Voters also okayed a $29,400 appropriation for renovations at the town’s Danforth Library.