This story has been updated to show each town’s share of taxes for schools.
LIVERMORE FALLS – About 100 Regional School Unit 73 voters at the 2014-15 budget meeting kept a reading teacher, cut a high school administration support assistant and approved funding for a portion of the former south campus high school to remain open for Adult Education Program following a public hearing Tuesday night.
In two and a half hours, RSU 73 residents from the district’s towns of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls set a $18,890,497 budget total, up $29,999 from the $18,860,498 total the school board had recommended.
At Article 1, school board chair, Denise Rodzen of Livermore Falls, made a motion to add $67,173 to the regular instruction total following an impassioned plea from teacher Jenna Cote. On the chopping block was Spruce Mountain High School’s Read 180 program.
The program was funding through a multiple-year grant set to expire by the end of this school year. The highly structured language arts program focuses on bringing students tested reading below grade level up to expectations. Even without the complete student data on hand, Cote, who teaches the Read 180 program, noted that currently 85 students in grades 9 and 10 were found to be reading below grade level.
If the program were to stop, not only would the opportunity for those students to continue towards reaching a level of reading that would help them when they graduate be severely diminished, the program’s books, computers, work stations, and licenses would no longer be utilized, Cote said.
“It’s time to put our students first,” she said.
‘To take that away from our students would be unconscionable,” Rodzen added. Voters agreed and approved funding the position.
Rodzen had promised those attending she would find a place to cut some and she did: in the high school’s administration. The administration’s support assistant position which began as extra help during the consolidation years, was meant to be a temporary one, she said and amended the school administration article to cut $37,174 from its $974,470 total.
Director Kathryn McAninch of Jay, spoke in favor of keeping the position funded for safety issues. “It’s another set of eyes,” she said. With 500 students at the high school, the position should remain “for the safety of our kids.”
But others pointed out the original intent was that it be a temporary position to help ease the administration through the consolidation process when the two high schools combined. Voters approved the amendment to cut that position’s funding.
Voters easily approved RSU 73’s Adult Education recommended budget total of $299,549, of which $120,000 is to be raised in an equal amount of $40,000 by each of the three towns. The balance of about $179,549 comes through enrollment fees and grant award revenues to cover the entire program amount.
Also approved with little discussion was keeping a portion of the former Livermore Falls High School building open by raising and appropriating $132,042 through the next fiscal year.
Eileen Miazga, the director of the RSU 73 Adult Education program, told voters during the public hearing portion that the program served 400 students last year and she hoped to provide more course offerings next year.
Keeping a portion of the former Livermore Falls High School building open another year may provide many more opportunities, both for the adult education program, which uses 5 percent of the square footage, but for the community as well if more of it could be utilized. Currently, adult ed uses the former school administration’s office space and a few classrooms. The high school’s athletic and other after school programs, and college and community classes also use the facility.
Miazga said there is much potential for the building’s use as a meeting space, theater, dance, wedding and other functions that could bring in rental revenue. Some envision it as a conference or training center and perhaps a culinary arts program in the school’s kitchen.
While a few residents asked about what closing the school to k-12 instruction really meant in terms of saving money when they are being asked to spend more to keep it open, others pointed to the future possibilities the facility may bring.
“We don’t need another empty building,” Miazga said. Voters unanimously approved spending $132,042 to keep it open another year.
After the meeting was adjourned, Miazga said she was “thrilled” with the outcome and that now it’s time to create an advisory committee to look into all the possibilities. If anyone is interested in serving on the committee, call the adult ed office at 897-6384.
According to state funding projections for 2015 estimated subsidies, property taxes in Livermore and Livermore Falls would decrease and Jay’s would increase with the school budget proposed. Overall, a decrease in taxes for Livermore would total $33,781; Livermore Falls $34,043 less and an increase for Jay total is $168.328. Jay saw a decrease last year of $394,622 for its school share.
According to the RSU 73 administration’s projections, a home valued at $150,000 in Livermore would be taxed at $1,461.44, a decrease of $27.58 from the current tax rate for schools. Livermore Falls homes valued at $150,000 would be taxed $1,456.15, a $32.98 decrease from current tax for schools. In Jay, a home with the same value would go up by $53.86 to $1,203.94.
A district-wide referendum vote on the RSU 73 budget will be held on April 29 in the school district’s towns of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls. That referendum will consist of a single question, asking voters if they approve of the action taken at Tuesday’s meeting.
While it is useless to attend this particular meeting as the employees of the district pack the meeting and get what they want passed, it will be important for the taxpayers to go vote and in my opinion, the budget is way to high. We were told the Liv Falls High School building needed to be closed and now they want to keep it open and fill it with programs that may or may not be needed at a cost to all in the district. I for one will vote no.
The votes taken to approve or disapprove the articles at the meeting last night was not by the majority of the three towns. Most of the people there where from the school staff and families. Where were the people from the three towns? The budget is to high, it should be voted down on April 29th.
So I question I have to the both of you. Aren’t the staff and families of staff who are registered voters allowed to vote? Why should they not be able to voice their opinions just like you all?
I felt that the articles were pushed through very fast, however @JayVoter it was by more than 2/3rds on all of the articles. Don’t spout lies.
spouting lies, that is a bit harsh.
I was there and someone said the same thing to me as we were leaving.
It is what it is.
It is harsh, I wanted it to read that way.
There really isn’t anything to gain by lying about what happened during the meeting. Everyone who voted was a tax payer, regardless of where they work.
What about town workers? They can vote on their budgets…why can’t the school employee’s?
We’ve already voted by written ballots in the three towns to merge and close LFHS. Now all of a sudden they are saying that the way the original article was written was only to not use the building as a K-12 school. Talk about misleading the voters.
We are now going to be using the school as an adult ed center with the costs to the three towns up around 300k. And this only needed a simple vote at this district budget meeting. I want to know why all the other spending articles in Jay and Livermore Falls will be decided upon by the voters like they have in the past which is by secret written ballots at the ballot box. It is OK to authorize us to keep the school open, spend upwards of 300K and not need another vote like all of the other school spending articles.
It is obvious that this vote was set up the way it was because this is the only way that it would have ever been passed for that amount of money. Can’t wait to vote No for every school spending articles that I am given the chance. If they thought we had a hard time passing a budget in the past, wait until this time.
And who really believes that keeping the LFHS open again is going to pay for itself in no time with all of these wonderful ideas. If everyone has all of these great ideas, let’s put it on the market, or even give it away, and see who is willing to do so with their own money. With taxpayer money, many are in favor of it.
Let’s utilize the other 4 school building we have to their full potential. The middle school and high school in Jay are large, nice buildings and the student population is going down so there is plenty of opportunity in those buildings.
Correct me if I am wrong, but the money for Adult Ed and keeping the building open is a done deal. Voted on and passed by a very small percentage of the three towns registered voters. Now we will vote on a school budget on a ballot. A no vote on the ballot means we will take away from our childrens opportunities to get a good education and still give the money away to adults who have already had their chance for an education. I am sure there is some fluff in the budget , but why do we make the kids pay the penalty because the adults cant take time to get involved in these decisions. We will pay one way or another. Educate and be self-sufficient,or give more in welfare…
Jason you are clearly uneducated about the situation. Ever since the high school has expanded into the middle school space has been a major issue. There is no extra space and classrooms have been created from closets. Student population is not shrinking, it’s holding steady or increasing. So sad that people who have a major impact on our students’ education can be so misinformed.
I’m behind JohnP 100%.
Last nights meeting was a joke
We already voted to close the school once and that was a waste of time because they can do what they want to by some technicality.
And why were these the only two articles decided on in this open forum. Everyone knows why. These two spending articles (and that is clearly what they are) should be decided by secret ballot just like the rest of the school spending articles.
Enough is enough. And when some of these articles get voted down, they will do what they always do and bring them back and back and back until they finally get passed. It’s funny that once they do get passed, you never see them ask for another vote. But until they get passed, its vote after vote after vote.
Ok jay voter since you think the budget is “too high” what do you recommend be cut?
Also, those staff members and parents who were at the meeting last night see and know what it’s like in these buildings EVERYDAY! Do you??? Have you ever stepped foot in these schools and see that maybe the elementary school is old and needs serious repair, the middle school is overrun with middle school and high school classrooms because the town voted down an expansion on the high school (I know there was some expansion at hs but not enough.) yes the vote on closing Livermore high school and now keeping it open is a little ridiculous but I think it’s time the community started to get behind their schools and put some much needed attention on their students because they will be the ones taking care of YOU!!
Contrary to someone’s post, I am far from uneducated about the situation.
How many times do people have to vote to get their point across. We already voted to merge high schools and close the old LFHS. It was not an easy decision for many of us to make, but it is something that had to be done with the shrinking enrollment and shrinking tax base.
How can you say that enrollment is not shrinking. There use to be two high schools with over 100 students per class at just LFHS. Now if you look at the elementary grades, we are lucky to have much over 100 students with both schools combined.
There is only so much money to go around, and if the upcoming Verso evaluation in Jay takes hold, taxpayers in all three towns will be paying the price.
I am in hope that the town managers in the three towns and its selectman will challenge the legality of the school vote that was held at the public hearing instead of by secret ballot.