Edgecomb School Committee Chair Heather Sinclair and AOS 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler discuss a draft of the 2025 fiscal year budget at a forum before the committee’s Monday, Feb. 12 meeting. The committee tabled budget adoption to wait for more input from the public on a proposed 23.59% increase. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
The Edgecomb School Committee tabled its vote Monday, Feb. 12 on a recommended education budget that needs to account for reduced subsidy, drained reserve accounts, and student needs. Members said they want more time for public input on an existing draft before making a recommendation at a special meeting within the week.
The current draft budget totals $3,810,352, an increase of $394,187 or 11.53%. However, a 23.8% decrease in other funding sources, or state subsidy and reserve accounts, means taxpayers may be asked to raise 23.59% more than they did last year.
According to the working draft of the budget discussed at a forum before the committee’s regular meeting Feb. 12, $3,148,763, an increase of $601,163, will need to be raised from taxes.
“I think this number is the least-worst option,” school committee Chair Heather Sinclair said.
State subsidy would cover a projected $425,589 and tuition from nonresident students is projected to bring in $236,000. Sinclair said part of the jump is due to an 11.8% reduction in subsidy from the state. Subsidy calculations are made by the Maine Department of Education, and the amount Edgecomb receives has dropped since debt on the school building’s construction was paid off in 2022.
Members of the school committee said they had attempted to balance student needs with taxpayer burden in assembling this year’s budget. Numbers presented Feb. 12 are subject to change.
Once the school committee approves an education budget draft, it will be presented to the budget committee and then evaluated by voters at annual town meeting on Saturday, May 18. The budget covers operating costs for Edgecomb Eddy School and high school tuition for ninth through 12th grade students in the town, which offers high school choice.
The proposed regular instruction line of the budget, which includes teacher salaries and school needs, could increase to $2,181,157, a jump of $142,012 or 6.96%. It includes the purchase of a new school wide literacy curriculum to replace its Journeys system, which is no longer in print.
Principal Tom Landberg said the school would choose a science-backed curriculum to be used at all grade levels, creating consistency for students and peer support for teachers. The upfront cost this year would cover material purchases and expenses in following years would be much less, according to Landberg.
“Professionally, we need it, and for the kids, they need it,” he said. “We’ve got to be right on the cutting edge.”
The school also hopes to add an interventionist to the staff in the near future, but members said they did not include the expense in this year’s budget because they felt it would be asking too much. The interventionist might be for math, behavior, or some combination of subjects to be determined in the future, members said.
Other increases in the draft budget are due to contractual salaries and benefits, plus a change in insurance for the school buses.
Alongside operating expenses, the budget looks to begin refilling the school’s two reserve accounts. Sinclair said about $800,000 of unassigned fund balance has been used over the past four years to offset what the committee asks the town to raise through taxes. Unexpected recent expenses, including a well issue and new special education needs, have drained the reserves.
“There’s no fund balance use because there’s nothing in there,” Sinclair said.
The committee plans to rebuild the reserve accounts over the next few budget cycles to act as a cushion for emergencies. If the school has access to reserve accounts authorized by voters, it can use those funds in an emergency rather than calling a special town meeting to raise more money through taxes mid-year.
“The question is not if, the question is when it’s going to happen,” AOS 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler said of unexpected expenses.
Members also approved a remote learning plan when school is closed. Landberg said the school has to plan ahead with take-home packets and lunches for students for it to count as an instructional day. Students are expected to do school work for those full hours and teachers will be available online from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. if electricity and internet are available.
In other business, the board adopted an updated student immunization policy to meet state legal requirements.
The budget draft and a recording of the workshop are available at sites.google.com/aos98schools.org/aos98schoolboards. The committee’s next regular meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 11 at Edgecomb Eddy School and on Zoom.
AOS 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler presents a draft education budget to Edgecomb residents on Monday, Feb. 12. The town’s school committee is grappling with reduced state subsidy, increased student needs, and drained reserve accounts in this year’s budget cycle. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
