By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
Franklin McElwain, superintendent of the Eastern Aroostook Regional School Unit (RSU 39) reminds registered voters of Caribou, Stockholm and Limestone, of the District School Budget meeting that will be held on Wednesday, May 30, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Caribou Middle School. The purpose of this district meeting is to determine the budget articles that make up the $18,718,271 RSU 39 school budget for 2012-13.
Voters will be asked to consider the authorization of expenditures in the following cost center categories recommended by the RSU 39 board of directors.
• Article 1: Regular instruction: recommended $6,939,597.
• Article 2: Special education: recommended $2,615,191.
• Article 3: Career and technical education: recommended $1,219,408.
• Article 4: Other instruction: recommended $661,432.
• Article 5: Student and staff support: recommended $1,682,101.
• Article 6: System administration: recommended $561,204.
• Article 7: School administration: recommended $898,807.
• Article 8:Transportation and buses: recommended $983,342.
• Article 9: Facilities maintenance: recommended $3,056,778.
• Article 10: Debt service and other commitments: recommended $0.
• Article 11: All other expenditures including nutrition: recommended $100,411.
Article 12 through 14 raise funds for the proposed budget.
• Article 12: To see what sum RSU 39 will appropriate for the total cost of funding public education from pre-K to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act and to see what sum RSU 39 will raise and assess as each municipality’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education. The Board of Directors recommends:
Total appropriated (by municipality) Caribou $12,144,733.52; total raised: $2,692,269; Limestone $2,713,297.90; $527,149.50; and Stockholm $283,139.90; $111,889.50. Total RSU appropriated $15,141,171.32; total RSU raised $3,331,308.
RSU 39’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from pre-K through grade 12 is the amount of money determined by state law to be the minimum amount that RSU 39 must raise and assess in order to receive the full amount of state dollars.
• Article 13: To see what sum RSU 39 will raise and appropriate for the annual payments on debt service previously approved by RSU 39 voters for non-state-funded school construction project: recommended $0.
• Article 14 (Written ballot) To see what sum RSU 39 will raise and appropriate in additional local funds: recommended $559,988.
• Article 15 summarizes the proposed $18,718,271 school budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.
• Article 16 authorizes expenditure of grants and other receipts.
• Article 17 would authorize the RSU 39 to appropriate $274,772 for adult education and raise $85,000 as the local share.
The RSU 39 school budget will appear as a single referendum question on June 12 ballot in each community.
