The Winthrop Town Council has approved a revised school budget of $13.4 million, which represents a 5.51% increase over last year. The budget includes a request for taxpayers to fund $282,880, a 3.76% increase. The previous version of the budget was voted down due to inconsistencies in the materials presented by the school district. Superintendent Jim Hodgkin made cuts of $90,000 from various areas of the budget, including $10,000 from the transportation department, in response to feedback from the School Board. The revised budget includes salary increases mandated by union contracts, a bond payment for a new boiler, lighting upgrades, the addition of three teachers, and bringing back the transportation department that had been contracted out in previous years. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday to discuss the budget, with a referendum vote scheduled for Tuesday. The vote will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Winthrop Town Office. The original budget did not have the full support of the School Board, but after revisions were made, the Town Council approved the latest version in a 4-2 vote. Town Council members Linda Caprara and James Steele were in opposition to the approved budget. The budget aims to address necessary expenses and improvements while balancing the needs of the school district and the taxpayers.
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