Wiscasset voters will have their chance to shape the Wiscasset’s fiscal 2027 education budget when they convene a special town meeting at Wiscasset Middle High School at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29.
The Wiscasset Select Board adopted the 20-article warrant for the special town meeting on April 2.
The education budget, including the funds for adult education, totals $11,217,742, an increase of $473,623 or 4.41%. Taxpayers will be responsible for funding $7,516,940, an increase of $557,269 or 8.01%.
The meeting will be the first step in a two-part process to adopt the education budget. Voters will consider whether to validate the budget at the polls on Tuesday, June 9.
The education budget’s 11 separate cost centers are presented as standalone warrant articles. Two articles – debt service, which funds locally funded school construction projects, and career and technical facilities, which includes expenses for the Bath Career and Technical Center – total $0.
Among funded articles, Wiscasset residents will be asked expend $3,793,799 for regular instruction, an increase of $134,067$ or 3.6%; $2,866,900 for special education instruction; an increase of $274,324 or 10.5%; $401,604 for other instruction; an increase of $1,945 or .4%; $843,550 for student and staff support, an increase of $54,199 or 6.8%; $548,895 for system administrations, an increase of $24, 651$ or 4.7%; $630,984 for school administration, an increase of $16,118 or 2.6%; $663,858 for transportation and buses; a decrease of $34,578 or 4.9% and $1,392,151 for facilities maintenance, also down $23,104 or 1.6%.
A $50,000 warrant article for all other expenditures is level funded.
Following the individual appropriation articles, voters will be presented with consecutive questions to see if the town will appropriate $5,884,116, and raise $3,950,277 to fund the Wiscasset’s contribution to the total costs of meeting the state’s essential programs and services standard.
In a subsequent written ballot, voters will be asked to raise and appropriate $3,540,663 to exceed the minimum standard.
Other articles seek an appropriation of $34,000 for adult education and authorizations for the Wiscasset School Committee to expended reserve funds for fuel, special education, and health insurance to meet unanticipated expenses. The local share to be raised for adult education totals $26,000.
The budget does take into account anticipated revenues from state subsidy and alternative sources totaling $3,700,802, a decrease of $83,646 or 2.21%.
The proposed budget is posted in entirety along with related documents at tinyurl.com/mr2hwejy.
Wiscasset Middle High School is located at 272 Gardiner Road (Route 27).
