[Editor’s Note: This corrects the impact of the budget’s total local assessment to being a $26,808 DECREASE, not increase.]
FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Regional School District board set the next fiscal year’s budget at $32.9 million after approving of more than $500,000 in reductions during their meeting Tuesday night.
The budget draft total represents a 2.9 percent increase over the current funding amount.
The original proposed budget started at $33.5 million, which represented an increase of 4.76 percent. At an earlier meeting, the school board voted to have the administrators present reductions in an effort to hit a 3 percent overall increase.
Among the suggested cuts were various teacher, ed tech and administrator positions; reductions for books and periodicals at the school libraries; along with infrastructure improvement projects such as paving work and upgrade to a phone system.
On Tuesday the board approved cuts totaling $535,215 for a $32.9 million total. The increase over the current budget total is the result of fixed-cost increases such as previously-negotiated salaries and benefits to new teaching positions to meet the needs of incoming regular instruction and special education students. Other potential increases, such as the health insurance rate hike, weren’t necessary and were able to be cut from the draft budget.
As approved, projected assessment numbers, with 2.9 percent budgetary increase can be seen here:
Chesterville – a local assessment of $942,328, for an increase of $814.
Farmington – a local assessment of $4,658,913, for an decrease of $14,636.
Industry – a local assessment of $813,943, for an increase of $2,702.
New Sharon – a local assessment of $1,032,029, for an decrease of $9,014
New Vineyard – a local assessment of $709,957, for an increase of $11,508.
Starks – a local assessment of $360,740, for an increase of $23,029.
Temple – a local assessment of $443,424, for an decrease of $10,283.
Vienna – a local assessment of $704,292, for an increase of $6,787.
Weld – a local assessment of $505,787, for an increase of $37,176.
Wilton – a local assessment of $2,910,617, for an decrease of $74,891.Total local assessment would be $13,082,030 for an decrease of $26,808.
The impact of a 2.9 percent represents an increased assessment to the towns of Chesterville, Industry, New Vineyard, Starks, Vienna and Weld. The towns of Starks and Weld, with the new valuation figures, brought larger increases.
Superintendent Thomas Ward noted earlier that the reason the budget can increase by nearly $1 million but still will result in reductions to the local assessment of some towns is due to increases in the district’s projected revenue. Revenue includes the district’s carryover, increases in state subsidy because of RSU 9’s rising student population and additions to the state’s General Education fund.
Also included is the $300,000 in projected MaineCare funds, to be paid by the state to reimburse the district for nine students in day treatment. That program provides services for children with significant emotional and psychiatric needs, allowing students grades K through 12 to stay in the district rather than placing them in out-of-district programs. The district’s administrators believe that $300,000 is a conservative number, representing the billable hours and benefits of staff.
The proposed budget moves on to a districtwide meeting for voters’ input at a date to be determined.
We are still seeing INCREASE, how about DECREASE!
Classic example of marketing. Raise the price and then advertise a sale to make people feel like they are getting a deal. Seems our hospital is taking another approach to lack of funding. The school system needs to do the same.
The taxpayers will vote the proposed increase down!! Mike D. nailed it at the last public presentation.
Lots and lots of library books have been given away this year at Academy Hill School. My daughter has come home with book after book from the library. Why are books the taxpayers paid for being handed out? There are so many ways money is being wasted. How about how much the district pays for substitutes each year? My son’s teacher has been out over and over this year. 15 sick days is ridiculous. Every year the budget goes up but there are more and more poor people. How about the whole district takes a 10% cut in those big health plans we pay for?
Too high. The highest number that I will vote for is $32 million. 32 million dollars!! That is not being a cheapskate. That is being a realist. Time for Dr. Tom to do the tough work of administrating. So far it’s been easy!
Has anyone come up with a count per town per student? This is something we should really consider. 32,000,000 is Redictulous! !!! My vote is for NO Increase!
I agree about the Academy Hill library books. It seems like if they can give away tens of thousands of dollars worth of library books why are we buying more? I’m sure some are old, but many being discard are still in perfect condition! If the books are being discarded because they are not going out, then why not set up book displays to encourage kids to take them out rather then just throwing them out? I always thought school libraries were there to provide a variety books for kids, not a take home all these old library books for free!
I hope the budget passes. Everything in it is absolutely essential! Look at where cuts were made, an ed tech position and infrastructure. I’m not aware of any school district in this state that has a surplus of teachers, so that is obviously going to affect students adversely. And although we might not “need” paving and a new telephone system this year, those will be needed at some point down the road, so the longer we put it off, the more it is going to cost in the long run! As for the books at Academy Hill, what kind of books are they? I know schools will often give away damaged books or books that are many years old with outdated information, rather than just throw them out. Scholastic and other reading companies also occasionally have book give aways at special times of the year, so if it’s a newer book, my bet is the school didn’t pay for it, they got it for free through some type of promotion. Think about it for a minute, does it really make sense for the library to just be giving out good books free of charge to students? No. Several of you probably also aren’t aware that teachers are one of the most under paid professions in this country, but one of the hardest and absolutely essential professions needed for our great nation to survive. Those of you complaining about the budget increase should take that energy to your state senators and representatives, and our illustrious governor, who is supposed to be upholding the will of the people and funding 55% of the cost education, but single handedly refuses!
Voter.. How do you figure teachers are underpaid? Don’t forget they work about 185 days a year ? Do you have numbers to support your statement? No new increase please…
The books that I see being offered to students at the middle school haven’t been taken out of the library for decades, as far as I can tell.
There is a $740,000 carry over from 2014, money budgeted for that year that the school didn’t use. $500,000 of that is being credited to this year’s budget which helped to reduce this year’s proposed increase. The district is keeping the remaining $140,000 for emergency purposes. Consider first of all, that the $740,000 carryover was a big miscalculation by the district for projected spending for 2014. Secondly, the school budget includes several contingency funds already that add up to close to $200,000. The purpose of that money is for emergencies. In all fairness to the taxpayers, any money that is left over from a previous year, should be credited in full to budgets in subsequent years. The $140,000 that the school feels they can keep should be credited to this year’s budget which would then further reduce the proposed increase.
Voter and Kippy, you are both absolutely correct, most if not all of the books being “given” away at the school libraries are way beyond the department of educations suggested copyright dates (some discarded from the middle school were bought for the Ingalls School) and haven’t been checked out in years (regardless of how many times they were put on display). Rather than just throw them away they are offered for free to our kids as a last ditch effort to get them to read, which in my opinion is far from a “waste of money”. Some kids won’t check out books because they don’t want the responsibility of bringing it back but are very interested in books they don’t have to bring back.
Not many responses from concerned taxpayers. Those of you who want the budget lower better show at the budget vote, date to be announced later, and bring all the people of voting age with you that you can find with the courage to stand and be counted and voice a loud ” NO” to each article that you think should be lower. It’s as simple as that! Lindy, you’re dead on as to carryover monies, in particular, the $240,000 one which would bring the increase closer to 2%, which is more acceptable, but still higher than neighboring districts with comparatively sized school populations etc. Of note, this school district’s median household income is LOWER than our neighboring districts. Waiting to see the specific lines where reductions were made. i.e. any from administration, transportation etc.
Thanks Buckshot, you’re right! It is $240,000 (not $140,000 like I wrote)! That makes the situation even more questionable. How much emergency money does the school need?
The books my daughter have brought home are NOT old. A couple of them are brand new. I don’t get it. Did someone give the okay for this?
Wow! If we all had that much to put away for an emergency we would be all set! Citizens please get out and vote this down. It is not just our personal budgets. Our own towns are suffering greatly. Farmington just added more paid firemen . We cant. Our roads have suffered for years!! I taught for 15 years without pay. Sorry a teachers budget is small but they only have part of the year to work. They all can pick up another job in their time off. I now work 4 jobs. Im not crying poverty! Im just saying that amout of money is down right wrong spending. Bring it down!!
The books coming out of Academy are new and/ or tie into curriculum…and that is a cold hard fact!
“Some kids won’t check out books because they don’t want the responsibility of bringing it back but are very interested in books they don’t have to bring back.”
Seriously?! I understand that getting kids to read is a positive thing but shouldn’t we be encouraging these future adults to be responsible?
Amanda – couldn’t agree with you more on that……Excellent point!
Amanda, I agree, but there is only so much a librarian can do before I am delving into parental issues.
Just saying and taxpayer. Perhaps those books were part of a reading incentive program that didn’t cost the tax payers anything?
@Resident: you taught for 15 years without pay? When you work a job that typically PAYS, you can’t use your volunteering as leverage later on. Could you imagine a teacher who had to work 4 jobs to provide for themselves? Doesn’t that seem wrong to you? Not only do they deserve appropriate compensation for educating our future leaders, but they deserve to be able to dedicate full attention to that task. I would hate for the teacher of my kids to have to focus on 4 different jobs and not just put full power into educating my kid.