SALEM – The MSAD 58 school board approved the next fiscal year’s budget Thursday evening at Mt. Abram High School, and plans to sign the warrants for the referendum vote at the next meeting.
While the proposed $10,157,642 budget has grown by $324,380 compared to the current budget, an increase of 3.19 percent, the vast majority of the increase will not be borne locally. The state has changed the way it intends to pay for some special services in MSAD 58, shifting new line items into the budget. According to Superintendent Quenten Clark, the increases in state subsidies to pay for these shifts will make up for the changes.
“The actual budget here is not up very much,” Clark told the board. “I would argue it’s not up at all. It’s mostly reflective of costs that were outside the budget that are now inside the budget.”
These increases include such items as $319,913 in new budget lines for State Agency Clients, children in foster homes or under the care of the state which are tuitioned to MSAD 58 schools. Previously, Clark said, the school district simply calculated the funds needed to educate the students and then billed the state through an account outside of the budget. Now the State Agency Clients must appear in the budget.
Similarly, the state now requires that Unorganized Territory students who require special education services appear in the budget, rather than paying for those services separately.
Locally, MSAD 58’s administration and school board continued to look for savings. They voted to hire an occupational therapist rather than contract the services through Franklin Memorial Hospital. The costs for occupational therapy services were estimated to be roughly $120,000 this year, and an in-house specialist would cost $55,000 annually. That money could be augmented through federal funding in necessary, and should the case load increase dramatically, MSAD 58 plans to contract out the overflow.
The board also narrowly approved the elimination of a social worker position at Mt. Abram High School, saving $35,000. Voting 5 to 4 in favor of the cut after some debate, the board decided that adequate counseling services were available through a combination of the high school’s administration, nurses and guidance counselors. If necessary, the school contracts certain cases out to Evergreen Behavioral Health.
The board also decided not to fill a half-time teaching position at the high school in the wood and metal fabrication classroom. That position is being vacated by a retirement, and Principal Jeanne Tucker said that teachers were willing to step in and help teach the class rather than add new staff members. The decision will save the district $25,000.
Other changes include a plan to eliminate a librarian position at Mt. Abram High School. This position would be covered by existing teachers who would begin working on getting their librarian certifications.
Following the advice of Clark, the board approved the purchase of two new buses in the next fiscal year, complementing the two purchased this year. The reason behind this $150,000 expenditure, Clark explained, was three-fold; the district would upgrade its bus fleet, push $128,000 in bus-purchase subsidy into the 2010-2011 fiscal year and potentially provide a small reserve account of $150,000 should some major expenditure come up next year.
Clark expects the 2010-2011 fiscal year to be particularly difficult, as the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding will be gone at that point. Buying buses now, he explained, would let the district’s fleet operate in good repair through the potential subsidy decreases.
Similarly, the board also took the administration’s recommendation to not decrease the instructional supply lines, as they did for this fiscal year. This represents roughly a 30 percent increase in those expenditures from the current budget. The hope is that this will allow teachers to save money through the coming years.
“If they’re thrifty,” Clark said, “we can get through the lean years. You can cut it again, but I think it’s prudent to let them rebuild their supply.”
Capital expenditures include a myriad of small projects throughout the district. The largest of these is clearly a replacement of Strong Elementary School’s aging telephone system, installed in 1996. This would cost $34,555 to replace.
Revenue numbers for the district are still being compiled, and should be available next week. Setting aside the changes in the system regarding State Agency Clients, previous estimates suggested a $300,000 drop in state subsidies, due to the reorganization law penalty, rising valuation and falling enrollment numbers. This is partially offset by the roughly $100,000 increase in in federal stimulus money.
The public will be able to vote on the budget at the meeting on June 11, at Mt. Abram High School. The referendum will be held on June 16, asking residents to approve the action taken at the meeting.
