Two newcomers are vying for a one-year seat on the Weare School Board, finishing the term of William Politt, who is stepping down. It is the only contested race on the ballot.

Katie Lipp, 36, has been a resident of town for 8 years with two children at Center Woods Elementary. She is a principal in a behavioral health consulting firm.

The other candidate, Lorraine Westfahl, declined to talk to the Monitor, saying in an e-mail “I would like to keep my local politics to Weare and those I would possibly serve.”

On Facebook and the local newsletter she said she grew up in eastern Oregon and moved to Weare in 2021. The family has home-schooled their two children, now high-school aged.

Talking to the Monitor, Lipp said Weare’s lack of a “strong tax base” has “historically left the school without resources to attract and retain staff … also created a lot of tension that has been hard for the community to navigate.”

She wants to help ease that tension through “plain-language” communication. “I’d like to
lower some of the barriers to engagement so that folks can participate more in these conversations.”

Lipp said she supports Article 5 on the warrant, which would require the estimated tax impact to be printed with all warrant article, and is opposed to Article 6, which would place a budget cap on school district spending.

“I appreciate the appeal of a tax cap … but the reality is a tax cap won’t solve things,” she said, noting that one-time needs “such as a new sprinkler system” could pull funding from required areas.

Lipp said she would like to see the state’s Education Freedom Account voucher program curtailed, an idea behind Article 7 on the warrant.

“In theory ESAs help connect kids to educational resources they need, but in practice they pull limited state funding away from public schools, where the vast majority of our children (are),” she said.

Hot topic: Petitioned warrant articles reflect two approaches to the local school-funding crunch. Article 6 would impose a $24,767 per pupil cap on spending, plus inflation – Weare is one of a number of school districts where similar petitioned articles have been placed. Article 7 asks that the state reject an expansion of the Education Freedom Account voucher program, which the legislature is pursing, and develop a “sustainable funding plan that ensures no further strain on public schools or local property taxpayers.”

Both required a 3/5 majority to pass.

Budget: The proposed operating budget for the town is $20.45 million, 4.3% or $838,347 higher than the current budget, fueled by labor and insurance costs.

If the budget and all warrant articles are approved, the local school tax rate would rise from $8.67 to $9.93 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, adding $504 to the annual tax bill of a $400,000 home.

Noteworthy articles: A proposed two-year contract for the school support staff would include various increases in salary, longevity payments and differential for intensive care. Officials say the projected average salary increase for paraprofessionals would be $2,557 in year one and $1,887 in year two. The staff does not get any insurance or retirement.

Editor’s note: The article has been changed to correct the spelling of William Politt’s last name.