Mike Ward (right), Nobleboro’s representative to the AOS 93 Board, listens to AOS Business Manager Peter Nielsen explain a proposed new IT director position that would add over $125,000 to the administration budget. Board members voted to include funds for the position Dec. 7 after extensive discussion and a failed vote to remove it from the budget, which is set overall to increase 25% if voters approve it Dec. 20. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
The AOS 93 Board recommended a central office budget of $1,373,602.49, an increase of $279,074.72 or 25.49%, after extensive discussion and a failed vote to remove a new position at its Thursday, Dec. 7 meeting.
Voters in its seven towns, Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Jefferson, Newcastle, Nobleboro, and South Bristol, will approve or reject the budget on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
A proposed IT director role running almost $130,000 and salary increases for administrators met with resistance from some representatives in discussion that noted AOS 93’s lower salaries compared to neighboring districts, rapid technology changes in schools, and cost distribution among member towns.
According to a position description, a new IT director would focus on technology security for classroom use and buildings across AOS 93, planning, internet filtering, data management, grant writing, curriculum, professional development, and troubleshooting.
“Things will change quickly,” Assistant Superintendent Tara McKechnie said of technology in schools, particularly artificial intelligence. “We’re going to need someone to help us through it.”
Business Manager Peter Nielsen said K.J. Flewelling, who divides his time as a technology coordinator between the school system and Great Salt Bay Community School, has been working beyond his contract hours to keep up with technology needs. Administering a $380,000 security grant for GSB awarded this fall will increase his workload, Nielsen said.
Representatives responded their towns would be paying for a position they did not use in that case.
“It feels like a poor time to be adding this position,” Nobleboro representative Michael Ward said. “… Sometimes less than ideal is enough to get by.”
Ward and Jefferson representative Walter Greene-Morse said they could not reconcile a clear need for the position this year, especially with the schools in their towns – Nobleboro Central School and Jefferson Village School, respectively – providing IT services in-house. Other representatives voiced some agreement about the steep price of the new role while concluding that it was unavoidable.
“How much is this position going to cost us when we know we need it?” Damariscotta representative Samuel Belknap asked.
Greene-Morse moved to cut the IT director lines from the budget and replace it with the cost of retaining the contracted services currently in place for $23,000.
After discussion, the motion failed, with Jefferson and Nobleboro voting in favor and South Bristol absent.
Greene-Morse later suggested the position be funded with a split among the towns instead of through the existing cost-sharing formula, which is based on the number of students.
His motion did not receive a second, with board members saying they were not ready to vote on the suggestion without speaking to their school committees.
AOS 93 board members Matthew Hanly (right), of Bremen, and Betsy Ball, of Newcastle, review a budget proposal for the AOS central office on Thursday, Dec. 7. Members voted to put a $1.37 million budget before voters, with Jefferson and Nobleboro representatives voting against it and South Bristol’s representative absent. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
Nielsen suggested the board decide how to distribute the cost later and noted that budget figures are the amounts available to spend for the year, not necessarily how much will be spent.
Alongside the IT director position, raises were questioned for central office administrators, as they were in the last budget cycle. This year’s proposed raises range from 12-18% for the superintendent, assistant superintendent, and special education director.
A raise for Superintendent Lynsey Johnston bringing her salary to $150,000, an increase of $16,125 or 12%, resulted in the most discussion.
Members in support of the raise said it would bring the salary closer to neighboring districts, could save on replacement costs in the future, and would retain a person they said was valuable to the school system.
Speaking against the raises, Greene-Morse praised the work of administrators but said he believed increases for lower-paid hourly employees would be more meaningful.
“I’d like to give her more time than money,” Greene-Morse said of Johnston, stating that a raise of $15,000-$20,000 would not make a difference for employees making over $100,000 a year.
“The reasons they’re going to stay are the reasons they’re going to stay,” he said.
Ward said he was shocked by the figure at first but found with research that the school system was “pretty well behind” near neighbors.
“At some point, it’s a going rate,” he said of a salary increase.
Overall, the special services budget category totals $331,709.74, an increase of $47,150.22 or 16.56%; student and staff support, $224,509.50, an increase of $141,681.68, or 171.05%, due primarily to the IT director position; the office of the superintendent totals $396,543.25, an increase of $38,716.55, or 10.81%; and the business office totals $420,840, an increase of $51,526.27, or 13.95%.
A second vote to approve the budget as presented passed 603-326, with Ward and Greene-Morse casting the dissenting votes.
In other business, first and second reads of board policies were tabled until its next scheduled meeting in May.
The AOS 93 central office budget vote will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at GSB.
