School officials in Jefferson are considering budget curtailments and possibly going to the voters in efforts to accommodate a roughly $216,000 unanticipated shortfall in the town’s K to 12 education budget.
AOS 93 Superintendent Steve Bailey outlined the current financial situation at the Jefferson School Committee’s Dec. 1 meeting, and though options were considered, committee members held off on taking any action.
The largest portion of the shortfall is $139,348 in unbudgeted costs for the town’s secondary students.
The shortfall and secondary student increase, though smaller at that time, first came up at the committee’s September meeting.
The budget includes funding for the equivalent of 94.5 secondary students to attend public and private schools, but the count as of Dec. 1 put 112.5 students from Jefferson attending such schools, according to Bailey. Another 1.5 students attend Coastal Christian School, and two are home-schooled, he said.
In the K to 8 budget, there has also been a roughly $20,000 increase in costs for educational technician and special education costs due to students moving into town, Bailey said.
On the revenue side, rounding out the shortfall, is $56,000 the state is anticipated to withhold from the town’s subsidy, Bailey said.
The state withholds such funds, called MaineCare seed payments, to cover the costs of certain services, such as physical, occupational, or behavioral therapy, for special education students placed in programs outside the school district, Bailey said.
The committee discussed the possibility of seeking town approval to use roughly $130,000 in unappropriated surplus left over from the last school year to help make up the budget shortfall, but even if approved, the remainder of the estimated $216,000 shortfall would still need to be overcome.
According to Bailey, the town’s budget for grades K-8 – the major area the committee has control over, since the town pays tuition to outside schools for its secondary students – was designed tightly to begin with.
“There’s not a whole lot of money there to be saved,” Bailey said.
Jefferson Village School Principal Peter Gallace was also concerned about finding money to make up the shortfall even if the full $130,000 is approved by the voters.
To make up such a large amount of money from the K-8 budget, if even possible, would take months, Gallace said.
“The budget is very tight as is,” he said.
The request at town meeting could be for more than just the $130,000, possibly an additional $70,000, said committee member Shawn St. Cyr.
Committee member Joan Jackson said she would be willing to pay extra taxes to cover the costs.
The shortfall “can’t come out of the elementary school budget,” Jackson said.
Committee Chair Robert Westrich said the committee is asking Gallace to see what areas he can curtail in the K-8 budget to help make up the budget shortfall, in addition to the $130,000 the committee may ask the town’s approval to use.
In other business, the committee voted unanimously to transfer $85,000 to a school bus purchase reserve account. The funds were included in the budget to pay for the first half of two bus purchases this school year.
The Jefferson School Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan 5., at 6 p.m. at Jefferson Village School.
