Curtailment means $84,000 cut to SAD 1
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Gov. Paul LePage’s recent executive order to reduce state spending by $35.5 million to balance the fiscal year 2013 budget is impacting Maine schools that are already working hard to direct limited resources to student learning.
The curtailment order includes a reduction of $12.58 million to general purpose aid for local schools in the current fiscal year.
At the Jan. 9 SAD 1 board meeting, Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said the district’s share of the reduction is $84,474.
“It’s a big hit,” said Johnson, “but many systems in the state were hit harder.
“With a $23 million budget, we can absorb $84,000 without cutting positions by tightening up spending accounts,” he said.
Effective immediately, all employee travel that had not been previously approved will be curtailed.
“In addition, any positions that become open we will look at closely, as well. It may be that we won’t fill them, depending on the type of position,” said Johnson. “We’ll also be looking at all purchase orders very closely. If something is broken and needs to be fixed, we’ll address it, but if it’s something we can live without, we will. Tightening up our purchase orders will generate income. In short, we’ll take a harder look at everything we do. Items that were budgeted won’t necessarily be purchased.”
As administrators look at curbing current expenses, they are also thinking about how to deal with the projected $1.1 million hole that will come in the 2013-14 budget as a result of declining student enrollment and a large decrease in state aid.
Also at the meeting, directors were given a copy of the energy audit report that was commissioned by the board last year.
Prepared by Honeywell Building Solutions, the areas evaluated as part of the comprehensive energy audit include lighting upgrades, piping insulation, fuel oil heaters, building envelope upgrades and the use of alternative fuel sources.
According to Business Manager Charles Anderson, the audit verifies what the district has known for some time.
“We have old buildings and a lot of the big-ticket items outlined in the report may not have the kind of return that the board and district are interested in pursuing given the age of the buildings,” he said. “We have old buildings — with the exception of the addition at the middle school — that have been maintained quite well, but we need to consider what types of projects would have a more reasonable payback.”
At the suggestion of director Robert Cawley, Honeywell will go back and provide a listing of relatively short-term payback projects the district could look at for the next couple of budget cycles.
“What really struck me in reading this report is the age of the buildings,” said Cawley. “When I started thinking about more recent conversations about our student population trends and what might come down the road in the next five or six years, it makes sense that we look at some shorter paybacks. Honeywell initially gave us some 15-year self-funded projects, but I think we need to look at some more immediate paybacks.”
Director Scott Norton agreed. “[I think this report] brings the question to the table, ‘Is it time to look at serious consolidation of schools and maybe cut back on locations?’” he said. “Before we start investing the type of money they’re talking about, we might want to look at that.”
The school board will further discuss the matter after reviewing Honeywell’s short-term payback proposals.
During the January meeting, directors also:
• Voted to change the monthly meeting time to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate those directors who typically don’t get out of work until 5 p.m.
• Approved changes to the district’s anti-bullying policy. The biggest change includes the addition of cyberbullying, which is defined as “bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, including but not limited to, a transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted by the use of any electronic device including, but not limited to, a computer, telephone, cellular telephone, text messaging device or personal digital assistant.”
The next SAD 1 board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13 at Pine Street Elementary School.
