A member of the audience reviews budget documents at a special meeting of the RSU 40 Board of Directors on Thursday, April 13. The budget appearing before voters in June is $480,000 less than initially proposed. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
After two failed votes and lengthy discussion about the needs of district teachers and students, the RSU 40 Board of Directors narrowly approved a $37,255,527 budget on Thursday, April 13.
The recommended budget cuts $480,455 in additional funding requests from the originally proposed figure. The reduction is almost entirely in requested new staff positions.
Overall, the approved draft is a proposed increase of $3,338,564, or 9.84%, from last year. According to a March budget presentation, per-pupil spending in the district remains below the state average.
The budget summary was arranged this year in three tiers, one for maintaining operations at current level, a second for additions, and a third for new requests, largely the creation of new staff positions.
The first two tiers were recommended in their entirety, while two of the eight lines in third tier received recommendation.
Tier I increases $1,598,312, or 4.71%. Costs include wages, benefits, facilities, transportation, and legal fees, along with $284,869 to cover a loss in state subsidy.
Superintendent Steve Nolan said at a board meeting in March that changes to the state’s subsidy program formulas this year did not fall in the district’s favor.
Tier II increases $1,900,112, or 5.6%. Items in the second tier consist of a support staff contract, septic system costs for Medomak Valley High School, and a fund balance.
The third tier, made up of additional requests, included lines for capital improvements, additional teachers and therapists, a human resources director, and special education.
The first motion on the budget, made by Sandra O’Farrell, of Waldoboro, did not receive a second and failed. O’Farrell moved to approve only the first two tiers and restructure next year’s budget to include separate cost centers for each of the district’s seven schools.
She said the suggestion was made to ensure each school received the appropriate funds.
“I’ve been here for 10 years, and it’s never been checked,” O’Farrell said. “Every year we just add and add and I have no idea if it’s working.”
This motion failed for lack of a second.
The originally proposed budget was then moved and seconded, failing 376-381 using the board’s weighted vote formula.
Morgan Hynd, of Warren, made another motion to approve the first two tiers and the first four lines of the third, which included capital improvements, a full-time pre-K teacher, safety and security, and a human resource director.
Discussion followed about what items of the additional requests could be cut, and needs within the district. Several members also raised concerns about tax impacts in their towns.
“If we put this before the voters, I expect to have rotten eggs thrown at my house,” Matthew Speno, of Union, said.
Speno said the board should put the budget before voters as presented and let the public decide if it was too large. If the budget is voted down, it would return to the board of directors.
“Let the voters make the final decisions,” he said.
Speno referenced ongoing issues with staffing and student support levels in district schools, which have been raised at board meetings in recent months, along with capital improvement needs.
At a March board meeting, Medomak Middle School Principal Kate Race presented figures behind her request to add an alternative education teacher at the school.
She said there were 562 incidents at the school of 293 students last year.
Matthew Speno, of Union, addresses the RSU 40 Board of Directors on Thursday, April 13 in support of funding the district’s proposed budget fully. A reduced draft was approved after three failed motions to pass different versions of the budget. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
As of March 16, there were 516 this year, resulting in students missing 157 cumulative days of school.
“This is why we need help. I cannot have kids missing this kind of school,” Race said in March.
Melvin Williams, of Waldoboro, said he would not vote for the budget because it did not have a contingency fund for school repairs, particularly a backup boiler should a school’s heating system fail.
“This budget has to be bigger,” Williams said. “It’s got to have more money in it if we’re going to do our job properly.”
Hynd said the board is discussing a separate bond package which includes boiler contingencies for all schools among other capital improvements.
She said she supported the full budget, but made her motion to evaluate what members would or would not support.
Several members said they were concerned about mill rate impacts for their towns, especially with upcoming revaluations likely to raise property taxes.
Speno said he was transparent about the budget raising local tax impacts, and that the board was at a critical moment to provide teachers what they needed to survive and students what they needed to learn.
“I’m scared of what will happen if we don’t fund this budget,” he said.
This motion, to fund the first two tiers fully and the first four lines of the third, was also voted down.
Julie Swindler, of Warren, made a motion to fund tiers one and two along with two lines from the third tier for a pre-K teacher and two teachers at Medomak Middle School.
Swindler’s motion passed 390-367-0, approving the reduced budget draft. It will appear before the voters of Friendship, Waldoboro, Warren, Washington, and Union in May at the district budget meeting.
The budget resulting from that meeting will appear before voters at the polls in June.
Budget documents for RSU 40 are available on the district’s website, rsu40.org, under the “resources” tab.
The district budget meeting is scheduled for May 16.
The board’s next regular meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 4 at the district’s central offices at 1070 Heald Highway in Union and online.
