During the budgetary process this year, the district fielded a number of questions about the increase to our “school election” budget line. For next school year, the state has mandated that all school districts use the new paper ballot system similar to what is now used with local, state, and federal elections.
With the change from polling machines to paper ballots our “school election” budget line increased from $2,200 to $4,800. The increase is due in large part to the number of paper ballots that the district must have on hand for our school elections. The new paper ballot system has basically caused our election expenses to double. This is one example of how an unfunded mandate adds unnecessary costs to school districts.
At this point, we have heard state legislators are considering an extension for the use of the voting machines. If this is the case, we’ll be able to lower this expense in the future. I hope this explains the reason for this sizeable increase to this particular budget line.
