Staff Writer
A public hearing and vote, held May 26, at the Caribou Performing Arts Center, the Eastern Aroostook Regional School Unit 39 (RSU) saw residents from the three communities who last year voted to combine their education facilities and funds, Caribou, Limestone and Stockholm, agreed by a vote of 53 yeas and 1 nay to authorize the 2010-11 RSU 39 budget which will now be placed on the June 8 referendum ballot. Although attendance was slight for this step in the budget validation process, residents voted and approved the funds recommended by the Regional School Unit Board. The $18,561,488 budget, decreased by more than $1 million over the school year, due to poor economic factors and the loss of $631,000 in state funds, does create the necessity to ask for a slight increase regarding local tax commitments for education.
Frank McElwain, superintendent of RSU 39 stated, “This budget is driven by the loss of state and federal funding, physical limitation and our board members’ efforts trying to meet the needs of students.
Additional funds requested by the RSU in local tax commitment total $200,520, the result of an increase in state valuations.
McElwain stated that in reducing the RSU 39 budget, board members were faced with staff cuts resulting in 13 full time, 5 part-time and 14 stipend positions being eliminated. Other changes, cuts and consolidations were also addressed within the administrative, maintenance, business office and transportation areas of the RSU.
