From left: AOS 93 Business Manager Peter Nielsen, AOS 93 Superintendent Todd Sanders, and AOS 93 Board members Wayne Parlin, Matt Benner, Christian Cotz, and June Donenfeld attend the central office budget meeting at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 18. The group answered questions about the budget during the two-hour meeting, during which voters ultimately rejected the final total. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Voters from Bristol, Jefferson, Nobleboro, and South Bristol rejected a proposed $1.2 million AOS 93 central office budget for the 2026 fiscal year during a meeting the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Former AOS 93 Superintendent and current Great Salt Bay RSU Superintendent Lynsey Johnston said this is the first time she can recall the central budget being voted down. AOS 93 was established in 2009.
AOS 93 Superintendent Todd Sanders did not respond to a request for comment.
During the roughly two-hour meeting at Great Salt School in Damariscotta, a couple of voters out of a group of about 50 voiced questions and concerns they had about the proposed $1,219,774.85 budget, a decrease of $145,550.65 or 10.66% from last year.
Articles regarding the central office’s $329,999.69 special education budget and $128,271.94 student and staff support budget passed after conversation. However, an article about the $761,503.22 system administration budget had half of the voters present advocating for a lower overall budget, with a vote of 24-24. Due to the tie, the motion to approve the article failed.
Many in the audience were left unsure of what to do next, asking the AOS 93 Board what would be in the best interest of voters. At the recommendation of the board, voters decided unanimously to reject the entire budget, effectively sending it back to the drawing board.
“If everybody was to vote no … Then the budget does not pass. We can bring back, in a couple weeks, a new budget. We can start fresh,” Wayne Parlin, who represents Jefferson on the AOS 93 Board, said.
Throughout the meeting, residents raised questions about additional sources of revenue the central office uses and how that impacts the budget each year.
According to AOS 93 Business Manager Peter Nielsen, the central office receives its revenue from its general fund, or municipal contributions, as well as federal and local grant funding programs.
Nielsen said the central office budget put before voters only shows how much is going to be expended from the general fund, or how much voters will be responsible for approving. The amount can change year to year based on how much money AOS 93 receives in grant funding, he added.
Nielsen said he believes a lack of information regarding central office revenue contributed to voters rejecting the budget.
“Members of the public want to see all sources of revenue and all expenses, not just what they’re voting on in the general fund. That’s a very fair request and that’s info we share with the (AOS 93) board so they can set the budget,” Nielsen said.
The central office’s multiple sources of revenue are not included in the final budget presented to voters, as it has the potential to “create misunderstanding about what’s in there, and it throws off the percentage increases,” Nielsen said. Additionally, voters are only responsible for approving funding that will come from the central office’s general fund.
Nielsen said he will try to be clearer and make more information available to voters in regard to the central office’s sources of revenue.
Voters also inquired why the budget reflects a 10.66% decrease from last year even though Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen voted to withdraw from AOS 93 in November to form the Great Salt Bay RSU.
The budget, which was unanimously approved by the AOS 93 Board during a meeting on Dec. 10, reflects a new cost-sharing formula that allocates the budget in two parts: 50% of the total budget is split equally among the four towns, and the remaining 50% is split according to student enrollment.
Voters raise their hands in opposition of AOS 93’s proposed $1.2 million budget for the 2026 fiscal year during a meeting at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 18. While the special education and student and staff support sections of the budget were approved, voters turned down the $761,503.22 system administration budget, which houses salaries and other expenditures associated with AOS 93’s central office. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Nielsen said the new cost-sharing formula is closer to a “fair” allocation of funds than the formula used prior to the development of the 2026 fiscal year budget, when Jefferson was responsible for 36.05% of the budget, Bristol for 29.71%, Nobleboro for 23.81%, and South Bristol for 10.43%.
Nielsen added that although Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen shouldered about 40% of the AOS 93 budget, the towns’ withdrawal does not result in a 40% decrease in the budget.
“What was determined was that … you still have to field the team,” Nielsen said. “You still need all the specialized facilities, superintendent, business manager, special ed director, etcetera.”
Parlin said he was going to advocate for making cuts to the central office budget due to the impending departure of Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen. However, he said, he found each position was still needed to ensure AOS 93 ran smoothly.
“There are issues with staffing everywhere, and, given that we have a new superintendent, I personally did not want to cut the legs out from this superintendent as he tries to right the ship,” Parlin said.
The AOS 93 central office has seen multiple changes in personnel recently, Parlin said, and with the departure of Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen, the current staff will have the opportunity to find their footing before the AOS 93 Board decides to cut anything out of the budget.
“Hopefully within this next year, we can get the business department running the ways it’s supposed to, and then we can address costs next year,” he said.
The AOS 93 Board will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. at a location to be determined to discuss revisions that can be made to the central office budget. Nielsen said the board will try to hold the meeting in a space that will accommodate a large number of attendees in the event anyone would like to listen or ask questions about the budget process.
“Public education everywhere is having significant increases and it’s hurting people,” said Nielsen. “The board is taking it all really seriously and looking at how best to serve the students and how best to serve the residents.”
For more information, call 506-3044 or go to aos93.org.
