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Superintendent outlines school budget process, challenges

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FARMINGTON – MSAD 9 school board directors had their first introduction to what the upcoming budget process could look like this evening, with the superintendent of the district giving a brief overview of the schedule and options.

Despite the possibility of federal stimulus money, Superintendent Michael Cormier warned the school board that the new budget in MSAD 9 would likely involve further position cuts, due to tough economic times and falling enrollment numbers.

“These are difficult decisions,” Cormier noted, “because they involve people.”

The state’s Essential Programs and Services formula system is used by the Department of Education to determine how much a school district should be spending to educate their students. However, as Cormier noted, that formula under funds districts in several areas, such as administration costs, sports programs and transportation. More than 80 percent of the districts in the state currently spend more than the EPS formula recommends.

Anything that MSAD 9 spends beyond the EPS formula must be through entirely local money. In these difficult economic times, Cormier stressed, residents couldn’t be expected to put up with a large tax increase from the district.

“Times are pretty tight and pretty tough,” he said.

So far, the administration is looking at potentially cutting four teaching positions across the district, half an administration position, a librarian position, a Special Education position, as well as possible reductions in the number of educational techs and secretarial positions. Cormier hopes to have more details about the administration’s proposals at the next board meeting.

Last year, the district cut eight teaching positions, two ed tech positions and an administration position. These cuts did not all represent actual people losing their jobs, as the district always tries to use retirements and other natural shifts within the staff to reduce expenditures.

The reductions are never without some hefty debate; last year proposals to reduce a middle school health teacher’s position, cut an elementary French program and other recommended reductions prompted days of school board debate and public responses.

“We’ll bring you a proposal,” Cormier told the board, “but ultimately it is your budget to develop and explain and promote.”

The board hopes to have the budget meeting in the third week of May, with the accompanying referendum vote held a week later. Cormier plans to meet with staff later this month and discuss ideas and concerns with the upcoming budget.

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