RSU 12’s finance committee proposed a series of changes to the school unit’s cost allocation formula at the Board’s regular meeting Oct. 13.
RSU 12 is currently in the process of adjusting its methodology for distributing the unit’s costs among its member towns. The Finance Committee is developing alternative allocation methods other than the traditionally used “historical cost” formula.
“Historical cost” is a reflection of the amount of a town’s education expenses historically subsidized by the state. As previously reported, Windsor, has historically had 70-75 percent of its education costs subsidized by the state, a number that is reflected in its contribution to RSU 12.
“There seems to be a general consensus that something other than ‘historical cost’ be the basis for future cost allocation,” Finance Committee Chair Jerry Nault wrote in a memo for the September RSU Board meeting.
The Finance Committee’s proposed changes would allocate funds based on three criteria: student count, town population, and property valuation. The committee recommended that 35 percent of a town’s total share would be based on student count, 35 percent by property value, while 30 percent would be determined by population.
According to a memo circulated to the Board by the Finance Committee, student count and property valuation are used heavily by Maine’s Department of Education in determining state subsidies to schools.
Should the above formula be used, Alna, Chelsea, Whitefield, Westport and Wiscasset would experience a decrease in their funding percentages. Alna’s responsibility would drop from 6.2 percent to 5.8 percent. Westport’s would drop from 8.5 percent to 7.6 percent, while Whitefield’s would drop slightly from 13.9 percent to 13.4 percent.
Among Lincoln County towns, Wiscasset’s would drop the most from 35.1 percent to 32 percent.
Palermo, Somerville, and Windsor would see increases. Somerville’s responsibility would rise from 2.7 percent to 3.7 percent.
Along with the above formula, the Board will also consider each town’s “relative minimum amount.” (RMA)
In the past, the RMA was considered the amount of money a town was required to raise to qualify for a state education subsidy. The RMA would be combined with extra “local additional dollars” and the state subsidy to form the town’s total educational expenses.
Since the introduction of school units, the RMA is now the minimum amount each town must raise for the RSU to receive state subsidies.
The Committee suggested the RMA be recognized as a “starting point for local funding.”
According to a memo circulated to the RSU board, the RMA would be removed from the total local amount per town to be raised.
“This would cause a dramatic reduction in the balance to be distributed,” the memo read.
The new cost allocation methodology proposed by the Finance Committee would carry with it a 5 percent limit on the payments and savings for each town from the previous fiscal year to help balance the changes in cost allocation.
According to the Committee memo, money would be taken from towns with savings higher than 5 percent and used to support towns with new annual costs exceeding 5 percent.
The Finance Committee will make a final recommendation to the RSU board at the next regular meeting in November. Two public hearings will be scheduled to present the plan, one in the first two weeks of December and another in either late January or early February.
All RSU towns must make a final vote on the new cost allocation methodology by the end of March 2012. The new rules would take effect in fiscal year 2013.
Speaking before the Board, Windsor Elementary School Principal Josh McNaughton that the new plan added more safety drills, advanced fire drills, and lockdown drills.
The new plan also calls for a “buddy system” to help people with disabilities reach places in of safety in case of an emergency.
McNaughton said that the he was looking into conducting an advanced drill that would practice evacuating students and bringing them to an offsite location.
McNaughton said that Lincoln County EMA also notified the Board that Lincoln County EMA had donated “go kits” to RSU schools. “Go kits” contain a variety of supplies useful in case of emergency.
The emergency response plan must also be approved by all RSU 12 town emergency service agencies.
Students at Wiscasset schools are asked to go to Wiscasset Middle School Nov. 1 for their flu shots. All northern schools must go to Windsor School on Nov. 17.
September’s Board meeting saw a few board members slow down the meeting’s proceedings by insisting on following Robert’s Rules to the letter. The meeting broke down into dysfunction at certain moments.
“I feel we got bogged down in Parliamentary procedures instead of moving ahead with our business,” Holm wrote.
Holm suggested the Board use Robert’s Rules in its simple form.
Potter gave Watts a warm welcome at the RSU 12’s Board meeting Oct. 14. Potter praised her for her hard work at Bloomfield Elementary, particularly her efforts to encourage literacy among her students.