KINGFIELD — This week, the MSAD 58 school board reduced the Pre-Kindergarten program back to two days; previously they had voted to expand to four days. In addition, they reduced the budget for certain extra-curricular expenses such as college visits, field trips, and sports competitions.
Jessica Cain, a parent and board member from Phillips who advocated for the expansion during the April 5 budget meeting, spoke during public comment in the regular monthly meeting on Thursday, April 14.
Cain referred to the school board member code of ethics, which instructs that board members should think of the children first. “How are the children being thought of first if everything they enjoy is being cut?” She asked.
The theme throughout the budget process has been that the taxes are too high, that there is too much ‘fluff’ in the school budget, and that taxpayers won’t be able to afford it, Cain said. “I can guarantee there is far more fluff in the town budgets than in the school budget.”
Furthermore, expanding to a four-day preK was a way to try to attract new families to the area; it was in the budget for five days before it was cut. Cain heard from a number of families who were excited about the program.
There are cuts being made to try and bring the budget to a zero-percent increase, Cain said, “but at what cost?”
The proposed budget, which was the seventh revision, was a total of $10,250,606; this was an increase of $853,676, or 9.085%, over the 2021-2022 budget.
Revision six, including the expanded Pre-K program and more funding for trips, was an increase of $971,482 or 10.338% over the 2021-2022 school year.
Superintendent Todd Sanders and Kingfield Elementary Principal Johanna Prince felt they could safely move one salary into the COVID-19 federal relief funds; they could potentially move two positions. However, that would only fund the salary for one year, and the cost would go back to local taxpayers the following year.
Board member Sue Pratt from Strong said she would be comfortable moving one position to the federal funding, although she wanted research done to see if any additional one-time expenses could be funded through that source, to avoid the shortfall the subsequent year.
Cain said that if they shifted a full salary out of the budget, they should give the students back the funding for trips. Pratt said that if they added items back in, they wouldn’t end up with a reduction in local taxes. Cain said that a salary of forty or fifty thousand, compared for four or five thousand for field trips, seemed like a reasonable trade.
Joe Ford, a board member from Phillips, agreed that it seemed reasonable, and suggested a 90/10 — remove the salary and place it under federal funds, but add in ten percent of the salary cost, for an overall tax reduction of 90% of that salary.
Pratt requested that an eighth budget revision be provided, in two parts: one with the salary completed removed from the local budget, and one with ten percent added back in to fund trips, fees, and dues.
Because of the timeline for the towns to vote on the budget, the district’s attorneys need the approved budget by the end of the day on April 27. Business Manager Lynne Cary said she needed an approved budget by the end of the day on April 26, so she could finalize the information and send it to the attorneys on the 27th.
Due to spring break, the board will review the budget options on Tuesday April 26, at 6 p.m., at Mount Abram High School. Sanders said that the board will not leave the meeting until a budget is passed.
