Residents give initial nod to SAD 1 budget
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — At last Wednesday night’s district budget meeting, residents gave their initial approval of SAD 1’s $23,210,149 budget for 2013-14. Step two of the budget process is a budget validation referendum that will be held June 11 in Presque Isle, Mapleton, Chapman, Castle Hill and Westfield.
Superintendent Gehrig Johnson told residents gathered for the May 15 meeting that while the proposed budget represents an increase of $250,099 from 2012-13, the coming year will “be among the most difficult we have faced financially for several years.”
“Included among the issues that confront us are a continued loss of state aid for schools, namely a reduction of almost $500,000 for next year; an increase of 13 percent in medical insurance premiums generating additional employee benefit costs of $390,000; and a proposed state law requiring local school units to pick up a portion of teacher retirement costs, representing a new cost to us of about $250,000 for next year,” said Johnson.
“In addition, we are confronted with the additional costs of several unfunded mandates from Augusta including the design of new diploma standards; design and implementation of new teacher/principal evaluation systems; Common Core Standards implementation; and the development of the Next Generation Science Standards,” he said.
For the last few years, the district has taken the necessary steps to be fiscally sound.
“As we have every year since 2008-09 when state aid to us crested, we are reducing staff costs and other expenses to try to deal with state revenue losses and benefit cost increases,” said Johnson. “Over the past five years we have reduced full-time equivalent staff numbers by almost 50 employees, including 21.5 teachers and four administrators.”
As part of the June 11 budget validation referendum, voters will also have the opportunity to decide whether to do away with the two-step budget approval process and revert back to a single district-wide budget meeting.
In addition, SAD 1 voters will decide the fate of a bond referendum that would enable the district to spend $2.3 million on various energy-saving projects, many of which would see a relatively short-term payback, as well as numerous projects that would bring the schools up to code and improve safety and security. The yearly savings from energy-saving projects would offset the yearly bond payments, allowing the bond package to pay for itself over the 10-year life of the loan.
Johnson told community members that the district appreciates their continued support of local schools.
“We strive to continue our tradition of excellence in all of our programs,” he said, “and we listen and respond to the needs of parents, students, staff, and our local communities.”
After electing Michael MacPherson as moderator to preside over the district budget meeting (Article 1), residents approved the following items:
• (Article 2) $8,561,721 for Regular Instruction.
• (Article 3) $2,586,931 for Special Education.
• (Article 4) $1,463,682 for Career & Technical Education.
• (Article 5) $876,762 for Other Instruction.
• (Article 6) $1,868,826 for Student & Staff Support.
• (Article 7) $560,492 for System Administration.
• (Article 8) $1,151,530 for School Administration.
• (Article 9) $1,890,339 for Transportation and Buses.
• (Article 10) $3,031,294 for Facilities Maintenance.
• (Article 11) $742,185 for Debt Service and Other Commitments.
• (Article 12) $250,000 for All Other Expenditures including School Lunch.
• (Article 13) $6,475,024 in local tax dollars to receive all of the available state support for education.
• (Article 14) $530,011.73 for the annual payments on debt service previously approved by the legislative body for non-state funded school construction projects, non-state-funded portions of school construction projects and minor capital projects, in addition to the funds appropriated as the local share of the school administrative unit’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from pre-kindergarten to grade 12.
• (Article 15) $1,283,174.27 in additional local funds, which exceeds the state’s Essential Programs and Services allocation model by $1,126,541.76. A written ballot was required for this article. It was approved 111-1 with one abstention.
• (Article 16) $22,983,762 for the board of school directors to expend for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013 and ending June 30, 2014 from the school administrative unit’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act, unexpended balances, tuition receipts, state subsidy, and other receipts for the support of schools.
• (Article 17) Appropriate $226,387 for Adult Education and raise $94,990 as the local share, with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in and for the well being of the adult education program.
The referendum will be held Tuesday, June 11. Voters should contact their municipal offices for exact polling times and locations.
