The bulk of the increase is due to salaries and benefits. But utility costs have become a major factor. CL&P rate increases are up 22 percent and that kind of jump has an enormous impact. And coupled with heating fuel increases of 138 percent, it's astounding.

The focus is on lobbying to get the formula (for reimbursement) fully funded.

Because of the complexity and difficulty of snow plowing at the high school, the arrangement worked out with the town is we hire a private contractor to do the snow plowing at the high school. It frees up public works to concentrate on the roads and the other five schools.