The RSU 40 Board of Directors diverged from the recommendation of the district’s budget committee on the evening of Thursday, April 11, voting to approve a budget of $37,619,219 for the 2024-2025 school year, a $1,619,966 or 4.5% increase from the current school year’s adopted budget of $35,999,253.
The increase translates to a 7.92% increase for the town of Waldoboro, according to RSU 40 Business Manager Karen Pike.
Of the five RSU 40 towns, the town of Washington will see the highest increase, at 8.73%, while Warren will see the smallest increase, at 5.06%.
Previously, RSU 40’s budget committee had recommended a budget of $38,630,875 at its April 1 meeting. This amount would have represented an increase of $2,631,622, or 7.3%, over the current year’s budget. The budget included among its line items provisions for some new positions, such as a substance abuse coordinator, as well as some cuts to existing positions, such as the removal of a Spanish teacher at Medomak Middle School, a half-time art teacher and secretary at Medomak Valley High School, and a part-time art teacher at Friendship Village School, among others.
More specific information about how the further reduction approved by the board at their April 11 meeting will affect the schools and how it will translate to specific budget line items will not be available until the board’s May 2 meeting, said Pike.
Information received from the state after the budget committee meeting had taken place revealed that health insurance costs would be lower than expected by $238,815, said Pike. Taking this figure into account, the RSU 40 Board of Directors took the adjusted budget of $38,392,060 as their starting point on the evening of April 11. Adjusted for the actual cost of health insurance, this budget would have represented a $2,392,807 or 6.64% increase over the current year’s budget.
During discussion, multiple proposed total budget amounts were raised and then voted down, with proposed increases fluctuating with each motion. These included a failed motion from Noah Botley, of Washington, for a 4.75% increase, followed by a motion from Julie Swindler, of Warren, for a 6% increase.
“I don’t see how we could do any less than 6% and fulfill our duty of being responsible for the education of our community,” Swindler said. She accepted a friendly amendment from Botley to lower the proposed increase to 5.5% before the motion ultimately failed.
Other numbers suggested during the hours-long discussion covered the full range between the adjusted 6.64% increase recommended by the budget committee to a suggestion from Joshua Blackman, of Warren, to approve a 0% increase and keep last year’s budget unchanged.
Sandra O’Farrell, of Waldoboro, spoke in favor of a 5% increase, suggesting that amount would not require administrators to lay off staff while “not over-embellishing to the point that we can’t live with ourselves.”
However, others worried that any increase would only further strain already-struggling residents of the five RSU 40 towns.
“I just don’t see how I can have that conversation with people who are on fixed incomes and already are struggling to make ends meet,” said Jeanette Wheeler, of Waldoboro.
Ultimately, the motion to approve a 4.5% spending increase, raised by Botley, passed in a 495 to 450 weighted vote with no members abstaining. Botley, O’Farrell, Wheeler, Naomi Aho, of Warren; Erik Amundsen, of Union; Brooke Simmons, of Friendship; Nichole Taylor, of Union; Emily Trask-Eaton, of Waldoboro; and Wheeler voted in favor.
Wheeler called the approved budget a “compromise” in a phone call on Tuesday, April 16.
With some believing the increase was too steep and others believing the board should accept the recommendation of the budget committee, seven board members voted against the 4.5% increase: Swindler, Blackman, Chair Danny Jackson, of Waldoboro; Joseph Henry, of Friendship; Matthew Speno, of Union; Randy Kassa, of Warren; and Melvin Williams, of Waldoboro.
The RSU 40 district-wide budget meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the Medomak Valley High School auditorium. For more information, call 785-2277 or go to rsu40.org.
Correction
(This article in the April 18 edition of the newspaper incorrectly stated the time of the RSU 40 District Budget Meeting. The meeting will be held at 6:30 on Tuesday, May 14, in the auditorium at Medomak Valley High School. The Lincoln County News sincerely regrets this error.)
