[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 voted Tuesday evening to schedule the district budget meeting and ensuing validation referendum, setting a $32.9 million budget before voters in June.
The budget meeting is set for Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. at the Mt. Blue Campus. The meeting will either be held in the auditorium or the gymnasium, dependent on availability. The articles will be open, meaning the recommended cost center allocations can either be increased or decreased by those in attendance. Residents of the 10 district towns are allowed to vote.
A confirmation referendum will be held on Tuesday, June 14 in all 10 towns. Voters may cast ballots either affirming or rejecting the budget set at the June 1 meeting. The district typically tries to schedule the referendum in line with state primary when possible, in order to save the towns money on poll operation.
The board approved the bulk of the budget at the April 26 meeting, after approving more than $500,000 in reductions to bring the total, proposed increase to 2.9 percent over the current fiscal year. The suggested $535,215 in cuts included teacher, ed tech and administrator positions, reductions for books and periodicals at the school libraries, and the elimination of infrastructure improvement projects such as paving work and upgrade to a phone system.
The increase over the current budget total includes 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 previously 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.
Reductions to the local assessment of some towns, despite a proposed 2.9 percent increase, 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.
On Tuesday, the board approved a $404,034 budget for the Adult Education program. That would represent roughly an $18,000 increase over the current fiscal year. That does not include additional funds to fill the program director’s position; Adult Education Director Ray Therrien will be retiring at the end of this year.
Director Keith Swett of Wilton proposed reducing the total proposed increase to $11,180, or 2.9 percent to match the school budget increase. That motion was voted down, with the board supporting the $404,034 figure. There were 11 directors in favor of the $404,034 budget, with Directors Swett, Cherieann Harrison of Wilton, Jennifer Pooler of New Sharon and Nancy Porter of Farmington.
Director Richard Hargreaves of New Vineyard spoke against the earlier motion to cut the adult education program’s funding.
“Adult education has stepped in for a lot of young people who have, for whatever reason, been failed by the school system,” he said.
Harrison, who called the adult education program “fantastic,” said that her ‘no’ vote represented her concern that there had not been adequate line-by-line item consideration of the adult education budget.
Swett noted that his vote did not take issue with the quality of the adult education programming, but a need to balance the school’s needs with that of the taxpayers.
I find it troubling that we can’t go on same amount as last year! Folks we need to get a little more aggressive with this!
Think you’re right Concerned. Guess they think 2.9% increase will fly, doubtful enough will show for June 1 budget meeting and chance to lower it, and so we’ll get people awake with posters and roadside signs and just have to vote it down at ” The Referendum Vote”. Too bad some directors are upset and ”heartsick” with the reductions that were made, and that the taxpayers got some relief. It may happen that they’ll be back at the drawing board for the summer going over the areas in the budget to make cuts they missed the first time around. Keep the Faith!
And spending who knows how much to keep going back to a budget that should pass in the first place. It’s really no wonder why the young folks leave once they figure out how ass backwards this state is.
The Board and Administrators worked hard to bring in a budget with a .2% tax increase. They met in public for weeks, working to reduce the initial proposed budget, and they did.
The overall tax increase for district taxpayers works out to about .2%
Thank you for the work you do every day, and thank you for working to keep the increase to the lowest in many years. I will vote yes.
I strongly oppose the budget as proposed. I will vote no until the board learns to live with a fixed budget, as many taxpayers are forced to do, year after year.
I don’t understand why Director Hargreaves stated,in part,.. “young people who have … been failed by the school system.”
I thought people were responsible for their own successes and failures.
If a $404,034 budget for the Adult Ed program includes an $18,000 increase over the current fiscal year, then why are additional funds needed to fill the retiring director’s position? Is the administration, with the board’s approval, hiring another “greenhorn” ( no experience) to fill the retiring directors position with a salary larger than what was given to Ray Therrien?
Vote no. Each time, every time until you see a number you can live with. Mine is $32M. I will vote no until I see that number or until we pass a different number. You can do the same.
Make sure you understand the true cost of RSU9. In addition to the school tax, adult edu. Has asked the county to approve additional funds based off your property tax evaluation above what you will already pay for through RSU9 referendum.
Deaths exceed births in Maine. Limiting educational opportunities for children means just 3 things: 1) the smarter children will grow up and move away to a state that will provide their own children with greater opportunity, 2) Smart people will not bother moving into a state that has no desire to invest in its future, and 3) the state’s spiral downward will only accelerate. That breeze you feel is New Hampshire (and every other state) blowing right by you.