(Editor’s note: Jefferson residents will consider the education budget during a special town meeting at Jefferson Village School at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1. To view the budget, go to jeffersonmaine.org.)
Over the past two months, the proposed Jefferson education budget has shifted due to several important factors.
First, we have successfully hired staff that filled job positions that were already budgeted for to ensure students receive the support and quality instruction they need.
We’ve also seen a decrease in the special education cost center. This is due to both changes in student enrollment, where some students with higher-cost service needs are no longer enrolled in the district, as well as now being able to support certain students within our own school rather than placing them in expensive outside programs.
The combination of these factors has resulted in not only an overall decrease in Jefferson’s budget needs from the last presented budget, but the lowest of the three budgets that have been brought to the town this year.
The first budget in June, voted down by the town, totaled $9,763,805.37, an increase of 14.19% over the previous year’s budget.
Unfortunately, due to changes in circumstances surrounding special education, the second budget adopted by the board and subsequently voted down by the town totaled $10,046,817.86, an increase of 17.50% over the prior year’s budget.
This third budget totals $9,369.346.88, an increase of 9.58% over last year’s budget. Through the hard work and dedication of our principal, special education director, superintendent, and teachers, the most recent version of the education budget reflects a meaningful reduction from earlier drafts. Their collaboration, problem-solving, and commitment to balancing student needs with fiscal responsibility led to thoughtful adjustments that lowered overall costs, mostly in the special education cost center, while maintaining the quality programs and supports that all our students deserve.
Public education is the foundation of our community, and supporting our school, including administration, teachers, and all students, is a responsibility that we all share. Our community faces a difficult reality: state and federal laws require our schools to provide essential services, many of which come at a high cost. These mandates are not optional, nor are they decided locally.
Voting down our education budget does not eliminate these expenses; it only undermines the quality of education we can provide to all students and jeopardizes the programs and supports that our children rely on every day.
If you are frustrated with the rising costs placed on our schools, the most effective way to create change is not at the ballot box for the education budget, but by contacting your local and state representatives. They are the ones with the authority to address how these mandates are funded and to relieve the burden that falls so heavily on local taxpayers.
The school committee remains committed to being transparent about our financial picture and will continue to ask for the funds necessary to meet the needs of all our students. Our priority will always be ensuring that every student has access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
We must come together as a community, not against each other. Support the education budget so our children do not pay the price for decisions made far above our district level. Then, make your voice heard in the right place — by urging lawmakers to take responsibility for the costs they mandate.
Our schools, our students, and our community’s future depend on it.
(Danielle Bernier is the chair of the Jefferson School Committee.)
