A proposed $27.7 million for the new Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit faced public scrutiny for the first time Monday in Wiscasset at an informational meeting.
Board finance committee chair Gerry Nault and interim Supt. Martha Witham gave a PowerPoint review of the 2009-10 fiscal year budget, cost-sharing for the eight towns in the unit, and details about the approval process.
“The board expects to achieve economies in the budget that may not be apparent in the initial review,” Nault said.
A large contingent of Westport Island residents made comments challenging the cost-sharing decisions and questioning the fairness of them which Witham, Nault, and other board members addressed.
“I don’t think this is going to be well received by any town,” said Westport Island resident Bill Hopkins.
David Bertran, also from Westport Island, said, “Consolidation is supposed to be about reducing the real costs, and you haven’t done that.”
However, Board Chairman Lester Sheaffer argued it was not the original intent to reduce the costs to the town
Wiscasset resident Judy Flanagan complained about the administration cost in the new budget. “Wiscasset has been top heavy for many years, and I see that continuing.”
In response, Witham said the RSU still has to honor the present superintendents’ contracts.
The RSU towns will make final decisions on 11 cost center’s figures at a Tues., June 2 combined meeting in Whitefield. RSU towns can vote for an increase or decrease in the total amounts.
If they vote for a decrease, the board will have to determine specific cuts.
“The most likely things to be cut will be programs,” Witham said following the meeting.
After the June 2 meeting, voters will then go to the polls in their own towns and simply vote “yes” or “no” for the budget decisions. When voting, people need to know the exact figures, because they will not appear on the ballot.
Witham said that is why the absentee ballots will not be available until June 3.
The question on the ballot will ask, “Do you favor approving the Sheepscot Valley RSU No. 12 school budget for the upcoming school year that was adopted at the latest regional meeting and that includes locally raised funds that exceed the required local contribution as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act?”
A majority of all votes cast in each town will determine the outcome, Witham said.
If a majority votes it down during the June 2 town meeting-like forum, the unit will operate on the [existing] budget, she said. The board will then have to go back and review the budget and return with another proposal for review and vote again until the unit has a budget.
Nault reminded the public Monday, the RSU has not become official yet. It becomes official on July 1, he said.
The board honed the budget from a composite $30 million total of all the towns’ budgets representing a 9 percent increase over the amounts approved in 2009.
Witham said then the board removed all duplicate costs, instituted uniform treatment of some costs and revised the central office expenses to reach a $28.2 million figure.
Savings came from a 20 percent reduction in central office staff, scrutiny of food service costs, and student health and guidance changes, according to Witham.
Witham also mentioned the prospects of efficiencies in services that could reduce the budget another year (but not this year) because of the time constraints getting the budget out for the June 9 elections.
Despite cuts, though, the decline in enrollment projected for 2010 totals 2124 compared to 2241 this school year, which means a cut in state subsidy by 1.3 million, attributed in part also to increases in state valuation figures by 21 percent.
Witham said federal stimulus money might help to make up the difference, but the board chose not to take that into consideration in drafting the budget.
Later, the board’s finance committee recommended a further revised budget decreasing it by $551,931 to reach the present $27.7 million proposal, which the full board voted to adopt.
The unit lists 11 cost centers as separate warrant articles for the June 2 meeting at Whitefield Elementary School at 7 p.m.
Voters will review cost centers for regular instruction ($13.4 million), special education instruction ($4.85 million), career and technical education instruction ($191,025), other instruction (including summer school and extracurricular instruction) ($375,111), student and staff support, system administration ($951,342), school administration ($1.27 millon), transportation and buses ($1.49 million), debt services and other community debt service payments ($743,756), all other expenditures, including school lunch ($248,321).
The local shares (if the proposed budget passes) will amount to $1.03 million for Alna, $1.4 million for Westport Island, and $5.8 million for Wiscasset.
The towns share operation costs based on each town’s Total Local Contributions (TLC) for fiscal 2008-09. The eight towns’ TLC totals $12.56 million.
TLC includes the sum of all amounts raised for the K-12 school budget along with the amount raised by applying the mil rate expectation to state valuation for the local share of EPS (Essential Programs and Services) costs, additional local funds amount, and non-state funded debt service amount, plus all other locally provided funds appropriated for K-12 budgets from other sources, including carry forwards, and reserve funds.
Percentages determined through the process amount to 6.3 percent for Alna, 8.6 percent for Westport Island, and 35.6 percent for Wiscasset. The other towns’ percentages amount to 12.9 percent for Chelsea, 9.3 percent for Palermo, 2.7 percent for Somerville, 13.7 percent for Whitefield, and 10.5 percent for Windsor.
If the amount a town raises under the formula results in a figure greater than the amount it is required to raise as its share of the budget, the additional amount will be reallocated to the other municipalities under the “tax distribution safety net” provision under the RSU’s cost sharing plan.
People interested in reading more details about the budget, cost sharing, and the validation process may refer to the Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit’s website at www.svrsu.org.
Copies of a more detailed explanation of each cost center, including comparisons, will be available to towns for distribution before the June 2 public meeting, Witham said.
