March 28, 2024
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Tri-County Tech panel OKs budget Salaries, rising insurance costs lead to increase in spending plan

DEXTER – An operational budget for the Tri-County Technical Center of $826,884 has been adopted by the Tri-County Technical Center Regional Council.

Salaries and rising health insurance costs contributed to the increase in the 2002-2003 budget, according to Nicholas Vafiades, director of the technical center.

Last year’s approved spending plan was $770,000, Vafiades said Wednesday.

As approved by the council in recent action, the cost-share percentages for the sending districts of SADs 48, 46, 4, 41 and 68 are very similar to last year, Vafiades said.

The operational budget will be offset by an anticipated state subsidy of $463,615 and the cost-share amounts of the sending districts. These share amounts are as follows, starting with the district that sends the greatest number of students and ending with the district that sends the fewest to the center: SAD 48, $114,146; SAD 46, $79,477; SAD 4, $52,221; SAD 41, $51,940; and SAD 68, $44,746. There also is about $21,000 in carry-over that will help offset the spending plan.

In other business, the council approved a new property disposal procedure. The policy allows member districts to purchase surplus TCTC property through a tag sale process before the public bid procedure.

If two or more districts want the same item, a bid process among the districts will be held.

The council, representing superintendents and a board member from each of the sending school districts, chose not to participate in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation process because of the cost involved. Vafiades said the cost over a 10-year period would be $23,000 to $25,000. Even through the Department of Education commissioner and the department’s technology team would like all technical schools accredited, the council thought that the cost was prohibitive.

Instead, the council recommended that they establish their own local review committee and process for accreditation.


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