“The budget we propose keeps a lot of our great offerings intact while at the same time, making some compromises to keep the spending increase in check,” Winooski Superintendent of Schools Wilmer Chavarria said.
By Jaydon Shatoff, for the Community News Service
Winooski property taxpayers would see a 1% decrease in the Homestead Education Tax rate under the proposed school budget set to go before voters on March 4, Town Meeting Day.
The potential decrease comes on the heels of large school tax increases statewide last year, including 10.49% in Winooski. The increases generated controversy around Vermont about property tax levels and led to calls for cost control.
Winooski Superintendent of Schools Wilmer Chavarria said the budget proposal balances spending controls with needs in the district.
“The budget we propose keeps a lot of our great offerings intact while at the same time, making some compromises to keep the spending increase in check,” Chavarria said.
The school budget would see a 4.13% increase of $1,318,825, bringing the total proposed 2026 budget to $33,289,732. Winooski’s Homestead Education Tax Rate is projected to decrease by 1%, resulting in a small but consequential benefit to taxpayers. Weighted per pupil spending will increase by $1,801 per person, leading to a total annual cost of $15,262 due to a slight decrease in weighted pupils. This figure incorporates socio-economic status and other factors in the student body. The 2026 budget signifies the smallest budget increase in years.
Under the proposed budget, school taxes on a $450,000 home would go from $5,760 to $5,625 without taking into account property tax credits based on income under the state education funding formula.
Winooski School District comprises 768 students of whom 57% identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color. It is the smallest geographical school district in Vermont.
The proposed Winooski school budget mostly reflects inflationary increases, Chavarria said. To keep the budget increase as minimal as possible for taxpayers, the district was forced to make tough decisions to reduce staff, he added.
At least three full-time teaching slots will be eliminated as well as several support staff and operational employees. The cuts are an effort by the district to deal with rising healthcare costs and other expenses, Chavarria said.
“The hardest part was when we had to notify people,” he said.
Allie Fontanese has been a Winooksi resident for the past three years. While she doesn’t have children enrolled in the district, she worries that the proposed budget may not be doing enough to support the students and their unique needs.
“I think it’s really important to invest as many resources as we can into making sure that those who are refugees or moving to Vermont from other places get the best public education that they can,” she said.
Firing staff that play a key role in a student’s education and well-being seems counterintuitive, Fontanese added.
“You need the support staff and teachers to make a school successful,” she said.
While Fontanese does not pay property tax directly as a renter, she has felt the impact of rising property taxes. She told Winooski News that her landlord increased her rent to account for the large increase in homestead tax rates last year.
Chavarria said it is increasingly difficult for government-run institutions to keep up with rising costs.
“Health insurance costs went up by almost 12% this year alone. Usually, over 75% of a district’s spending is on personnel and if everyone has health insurance, we have to find money for that,” he said.
The superintendent said he hopes voters will support the proposed budget.
“The budget reflects the least amount of negative impact on our education services while allowing us to have the most savings we could possibly get for a budget increase that is barely above the inflation level in the northeast of the U.S.,” Chavarria said.
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News