FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Regional School District budget meeting is tonight at 7 p.m., with attendees to consider $33.9 million in proposed expenditures. The meeting, which will be held at the Mt. Blue Campus, will include proposed modifications to multiple articles following last week’s board action on $730,000 in additional state subsidy funding.
The $33,904,537 proposed budget represents an increase of $1.15 million over the current fiscal year and is higher than the $32.7 million in expenditures represented in the green flier sent to MBRSD residences. That flier was produced prior to the state setting its new budget on July 4. That budget included a little more than $48 million in additional state subsidy for the 2017-18 school year and $113 million for 2018-19. For MBRSD, that budget represents an increase in state subsidy of $729,954 above the amount proposed by Governor Paul LePage’s budget back in March.
Those earlier state subsidy numbers were used to calculate the flier’s local assessment impact numbers, which have now changed, as well as the projections that accompanied the $33.89 million budget rejected by a vote of 1,457 to 1,641 at the budget validation referendum on June 13.
Of the $729,954 in additional state funds, the school board is recommending that $378,165 be applied to reduce property tax assessments, $164,431 for capital project expenditures that would replace previously-approved bond funding, and $186,358 to fund three positions: two social workers and restoring the combined Student Services Coordinator/high school guidance counselor as two separate positions.
The three positions were among those cut by school board directors earlier this month, following the June 13 validation vote. The social workers would divide their time throughout the district, working with regular instruction students, while the Student Services Coordinator/guidance counselor consolidation was attempted a year ago and reportedly hasn’t worked; Superintendent Tom Ward listed that as the top priority out of the positions cut a few weeks ago. Ward has noted that the district has also requested that the state pick up the reimbursement of the Student Services Coordinator for Foster Tech quicker than the typical, 2-year delay due to the position only being vacant for a single year. The state reimburses Foster Tech expenditures at slightly above 100 percent.
The capital project expenditures would replace some of the $318,000-worth of projects that MBRSD town residents approved to be bonded at the June vote, leaving the district with a need to borrow only $152,000 to complete the district’s project list.
The $378,165 would reduce the impact of the budget on property tax assessments to zero percent, representing the combined alterations to the contributions of every town if the budget passes as recommended. Specifically, the town of Chesterville would see a $23,370 increase to $936,087 as compared to the previous fiscal year, the town of Farmington would see an $8,862 decrease to $4,627,711, the town of Industry would see a $29,038 increase to $808,602, New Sharon would see a $4,571 decrease to $1,024,999, New Vineyard would see a $10,439 increase to $705,476, Starks would see a $29,830 increase to $258,693, Temple would see a $12,124 decrease to $440,274, Vienna would see a $748 increase to $699,760, Weld would see a $10,236 decrease to $470,488 and Wilton would see a $57,637 decrease to $2,889,853. The combined adjustments would equal zero, down from the combined $378,165 increase that would have occurred if the school budget had passed as proposed under the governor’s original state budget.
The additional funds will impact three expenditure articles at the budget meeting on July 25 at 7 p.m. at the Mt. Blue Campus (as well as other articles, later in the warrant, that set revenue). The school project funding will increase Article 9: Facilities Maintenance by the aforementioned $165,431, while the $136,018 budgeted for social workers would fall under Article 5: Student and Staff Support. The $50,340 cost of the Student Services Coordinator/guidance counselor separation would be split between Article 5 and Article 3: Career and Technical Education, $25,170 in each cost center.
Tonight’s meeting will allow residents to set the budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year, with a separate article approving the distribution of additional state funding. At the referendum vote on Aug. 3, voters will choose to either validate the budget set at the meeting or reject it, effectively restarting the process.
