Wiscasset School Committee members Victoria Hugo-Vidal, Jason Putnam, and Jodi Hardwick raise their hands to in support of approving the warrant for a special town meeting to consider the education budget during a meeting Tuesday, March 25. The warrant includes a $10.8 million budget adopted by the committee, which members Jonathan Barnes and Tracey Whitney voted against due to lack of clarity about expenditures. From left: Wiscasset School Committee members Victoria Hugo-Vidal, Jonathan Barnes, and Tracey Whitney; Wiscasset School Department Superintendent Kim Andersson; and committee members Jason Putnam and Jodi Hardwick. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Although the Wiscasset School Committee did not come to a unanimous agreement to adopt a $10.8 million budget, voters will gather to consider the 3.06% rise in the education budget at a special meeting in April.
Following copious meetings and work sessions, the committee voted 3-2 during a special meeting March 18 to recommend the $10,896,270.38 budget, an increase of $323,267.81 or 3.06%.
Committee members Victoria Hugo-Vidal, Jason Putnam, and Jodi Hardwick voted in favor of recommending the budget while Jonathan Barnes and Tracey Whitney voted in opposition.
Barnes suggested tabling approval during a two-hour conversation about the budget, saying he wanted to know more about the expenditures being funded in each department. He also wanted to see what he described as “errors” throughout the budget corrected, including in the facilities and maintenance cost center.
“I think all of us individually should go through this line by line and figure out where this money’s coming from,” Barnes said. “I’m asking a lot of good questions, but, unfortunately, none of it is resulting in any changes to the budget, even though I’m proving several lines shouldn’t be in here, but we’re still not cutting those things.”
Putnam, the school committee’s chair, disagreed with Barnes’ analysis of the budget.
“We’ve been right here with you,” Putnam said. “We had three hours of questions last time and we’re sitting here doing it again. We’re all being very patient. We’ve churned through this again and again.”
Whitney agreed with Barnes, adding she wanted to see the proposed expenditures compared to last year’s expenditures, so the committee and voters can better understand the budget.
“I have to say right now, Jonathan has brought up a lot of things I am concerned about,” Whitney said.
“I’m concerned about spending and some of the areas where things need to be cleaned up … I feel strongly that we go back, take a look at it, and get it very clearly laid out.”
The vote to approve the warrant articles for the Tuesday, April 29 special town meeting had the same result, with Barnes and Whitney voting against it during the committee meeting on Tuesday, March 25.
Highlights of the adopted budget include the expansion of early childhood education and intervention through the addition of a pre-K coordinator. Wiscasset School Department Superintendent Kim Andersson said a current staff member will take on the responsibility if voters approve the budget.
Additionally, the district is entering the third year of its collective bargaining agreement with staff, which Andersson said is resulting in salary bumps of roughly 5%. She said she is anticipating an 11% increase in health insurance for employees as well.
Revenues, including state subsidy, tuition, and fund balance, are expected to increase by $14,171 or 0.38%, totaling $3,770,277.
Total revenue includes an increase of $100,000 or 40% in special education tuition, totaling $350,000; a $130,000 or 27.66% rise in tuition, totaling $600,000; a state subsidy of $1,950,954, a decrease of $413,323 or 17.48%; and no change in the fund balance forward, a total of $600,000.
Andersson said she attributes the town’s recent revaluation and declining student enrollment to the decrease the school department is expected to see in state subsidy. She said she is “working really hard” to find additional revenue to ease the burden on taxpayers.
The fund to be raised by taxpayers is $7,111,822, an increase of $309,097 or 4.54%.
The regular instruction budget is $3,679,773, an $181,656 or 5.19% rise. The increase in this budget can be attributed to a rise in staff salaries and insurance, said Andersson.
Special education totals $2,548,057, a decrease of $10,231 or 0.40%. This budget includes reductions to education technician salaries, a drop in resource room teacher health and dental insurance, and increases to health and dental insurance for education technicians.
Also, the special education budget includes funding for the district’s special services and contracted services, such as occupational therapists.
The facilities and maintenance budget is $1,532,662, down $16,683 or 1.07%. According to Andersson, due to the upcoming retirement of John Merry, the district’s longtime director of maintenance and transportation, the budget for the position’s salary and benefits is expected to drop.
The student and staff support budget totals $799,381, up $29,035 or 3.77%. This portion of the budget covers guidance, health, curriculum, technology, staff development, and library services, which includes two full-time librarians and social workers who will experience salary and insurance increases.
The transportation budget is $710,012, down $22,591 or 3.08%. Andersson said this decrease can be attributed to a drop in salaries and benefits due to multiple retirements within the department.
The school administration budget is $647,885, an increase of $105,479 or 19.45%. Last year, the district budgeted for two full-time principals as well as a part-time assistant principal to float between both Wiscasset Elementary School and Wiscasset Middle High School. Now, the district employs two full-time principals, one full-time assistant principal, and one part-time assistant principal.
The system administration budget is $514,879, up $21,963 or 4.46%; the other instruction budget totals $395,622, an increase of $17,041 or 4.50%; and the all other/food service budget is $68,000, up $18,000 or 36%.
The budgets for career and technical education and debt service are expected to remain at $0, similar to previous years.
Residents will voice their opinions on the budget at a special town meeting at 6 p.m. on April 29 at the Wiscasset Middle High School, at 272 Gardiner Road.
The budget approved at the April 29 meeting will appear on the ballot in the town’s annual meeting by referendum on Tuesday, June 10.
The next meeting of the Wiscasset School Committee is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in the Wiscasset Middle High School library.
For more information about the budget, go to wiscassetschools.org.
