DYER BROOK, Maine — Four weeks into the school year and RSU 50 is still attempting to finalize its budget for the year.
Residents of Crystal, Dyer Brook, Hersey, Island Falls, Merrill, Moro, Mt. Chase, Oakfield, Patten, Sherman, Smyrna and Stacyville will vote on the proposed budget at the Oct. 2 referendum. This will be the third time RSU 50 residents will vote on a budget. The last two times, the referendum was defeated at the local polls.
On Sept. 16, approximately 90 residents attended a budget workshop at the Island Falls Municipal Building.
According to RSU 50 Superintendent Larry Malone, the proposed budget was approved as presented and the articles were passed without discussion by those in attendance. The meeting lasted nearly 40 minutes.
“I am hopeful that the public will approve the budget at the October 2nd referendum, as schools are up and running and we do need to be able to make financial commitments to items within the FY15 budget,” said Malone. “We recognize that not having an approved budget has created unrest in our schools and communities. We all hope that we have found common ground with this one.”
The proposed school budget is $9,374,993, an increase of $110,271 since the last referendum on Aug. 7.
On June 17, residents rejected the original $9,770,947. The board then shaved off $217,000, but the plan failed again on Aug. 7.
The RSU 50 board has opted to present a bit higher budget to the voters during their budget workshop meeting.
Reductions of $52,500 came from cost centers of regular instruction, $20,000; Special Education, $22,500 and transportation services, $9,500.
The increase is in student and staff support of $103,254; system administration, $35,662 and school administration, $23,355.
This budget is an increase of 0.37 percent over the last year’s budget and a reduction of $395,954 from the original spending plan.
RSU 50 will receive $4,808,614 in fiscal year 2015, which is $210,151 less than the previous year. To receive the state subsidy, the towns need to raise $2,504,933 and the towns also need to raise $1,161,196 in additional local funds to balance the budget.
The new fiscal year began in July. According to the most recent report from the Maine Department of Education, RSU 50’s per pupil cost for education is $11,034. The state average is $10,021.
