About 80 voters from RSU 40 towns approved a budget of $40,815,369 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year during a districtwide budget meeting at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro on Tuesday, May 13.
The budget marks an increase of $2,120,478 or 5.47% over last year’s adopted budget. It covers expenses for education related to pre-K through grade 12 education and adult education in the five towns that make up RSU 40 – Friendship, Waldoboro, Warren, Washington, and Union.
The budget corresponds to a town contribution of $8,559,329 for Waldoboro, an increase of $491,335 or 6.09% over last year. Washington’s contribution is $2,443,757, an increase of $63,011 or 2.65%. Union’s is $3,484,002, an increase of $137,969 or 4.12%. Warren’s share is $6,309,036, an increase of $177,543 or 2.90%, and Friendship’s is $2,888,617, an increase of $108,710 or 3.91%.
The budget will be subject to validation vote at the polls this June, where, if voters approve the budget, it will be adopted.
Voters who commented at the May 13 budget meeting were generally supportive of the budget, though several asked for clarifications on specific budget lines. However, support among voters was mixed, with moderator Ron Hawes, of Union, choosing to count votes on three out of the 11 warrant articles concerning cost centers.
However, voters ultimately approved the articles for regular instruction, special education, career and technical education, other instruction, student and staff support, system administration, transportation and buses, facilities maintenance, debt service and other commitments, and other expenditures.
When considering the article for transportation and buses, Waldoboro Select Board member John Blodgett asked why so many students were being transported in vans.
About 140 students are transported to school via van or little bus, and most of these students are required by law to receive van transportation, said RSU 40 Business Manager Karen Pike. That may be because the students have special needs or are homeless, both cases in which the school district is required to provide special transportation, she said.
However, in about 10-20 cases of students who ride vans to school, the choice to use a van over a regular bus was made for student safety, Pike said.
“People aren’t stopping for buses,” she said. “We can’t count on people stopping.”
Therefore, for small children who live on busy roads especially, the district has turned to vans to prevent the risk of students being hit by a car while crossing the road to board the school bus.
RSU 40 Board of Directors member Brooke Simmons noted that another factor in the prevalence of vans is the district’s difficulty finding drivers with the certifications necessary to drive school buses. A commercial driver’s license is required to drive a school bus in Maine, while anyone with a normal driver’s license and clean record can drive a van, Simmons said.
When discussion turned to facilities and maintenance, Blodgett encouraged voters to “not cut” that total.
“Over the years we’ve skimped a little,” he said.
Justin Humes, a select board member from the town of Warren, asked if the Medomak Valley High School septic system had been replaced in the past year. At the 2024 budget meeting, Scott White, then Union Elementary School principal, had proposed adding $1 million to the budget to accomplish the replacement of the septic system. The measure ultimately passed.
Pike said the new septic system was on track to be completed this summer.
Another warrant article authorizing the creation of reserve funds to hold the district’s fund balance passed by clear majority. The measure is intended to provide the district with a cushion to fall back on if federal funding for education is rescinded by the federal government, Pike said.
The status of federal education funding has been in fluctuation in recent months, and the district is still unsure whether those federal dollars will reach the district, she said. The RSU 40 Board of Directors voted earlier this year to establish reserve funds with fund balance to enable them to use that money to support programs currently funded by federal dollars should that funding be revoked.
Before adjourning the meeting, Hawes announced it would be his last year moderating the RSU 40 budget meeting, prompting a round of applause from the board and crowd.
Voters from the five towns in RSU 40 will consider whether to validate the budget at the polls this June.
For more information, go to rsu40.org or call 785-2277.
