Voters to decide on SAD 1 budget Tuesday
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Residents in Presque Isle, Mapleton, Chapman, Castle Hill and Westfield will head to the polls Tuesday, June 11 to vote on SAD 1’s $23,210,149 budget for 2013-14. The proposed budget represents an increase of $250,099, and is up 1.9 percent from last year.
Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said 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, the superintendent said.
“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 identified by Honeywell Building Solutions, 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 energy cost savings would offset the annual bond payments, allowing the bond package to pay for itself over the 10-year life of the loan.
The scope of work would include converting from No. 2 fuel to liquefied petroleum (LP) gas at all five of the district’s buildings — Presque Isle High School, Presque Isle Middle School, and Mapleton, Pine Street and Zippel elementary schools.
Other components to the LP conversion would include combustion air upgrades at PIHS and Zippel, new dual fuel LP/oil burners on the boilers at all schools, required code upgrades for LP conversions at all schools, and new underground propane tanks at all schools.
The LP conversion project would cost $982,355 with an annual energy cost savings of $206,181. It would take 4.8 years for the project to “pay for itself.”
Another item Honeywell identified as a “good payback project” is infiltration prevention at all schools which includes things like weather stripping doors and adding insulation.
The building infiltration measures would cost $282,800 and would save the district $42,701 annually. It would see a payback in 6.6 years.
The final big-ticket cost and return item would be an interior and exterior lighting retrofit at all schools, which would cost $191,105 and save $21,451 per year. It would take 8.9 years to reach its payback.
Since the district would be borrowing money through a bond to help pay for the energy-saving measures, officials determined now would be a good time to look at making other necessary improvements, as well.
There are three categories of projects that would be done with $774,145 of the bond money — code compliance, liability/safety and school security.
Code compliant projects would include asbestos abatement for boiler replacements at the high school and Pine Street, while PIHS would see the replacement of two vertical lifts, fire alarm system upgrades and the replacement of the gymnasium bleachers. Code projects would cost $262,840.
Liability/safety projects would include prep work in the boiler room to replace the boiler at both the high school and Pine Street, replace the gym floor and the roof over the auditorium and west wing, and upgrade the generator at the high school; replace the storage barn roof at PIMS and part of the roof at Zippel; and repave selected areas districtwide. These projects would cost $438,205.
School security projects would include upgrading the classroom telephone system at Mapleton and Zippel; lockdown upgrades for common areas at Mapleton, Pine Street, Zippel and PIMS; and make upgrades to camera systems and install entry door lockdown systems districtwide. School security measures would cost $73,100.
According to Honeywell’s Jim Lucy, in 10 years the district would be “almost $1.5 million to the positive by making this investment” and nearly $3.4 million over 15 years.
“When folks are looking at ‘Do I vote for this or not?’ it’s not a choice of if you’re going to spend the money,” he said, “it’s where you spend it, and if you don’t do this, arguably you will spend a lot more in your utility line items with not much to show for it over the next decade plus.”
The referendum will be held Tuesday, June 11. Voters should contact their municipal offices for exact polling times and locations.
