SAD 22 budget reflects difficult choices, cuts
5/20/09 | 5 comments

SAD 22 budget reflects difficult choices, cuts


By Eric Russell
BDN Staff

HAMPDEN, Maine — SAD 22 officials and school committee members recently approved a 2010 fiscal year budget that decreases expenditures by 1.66 percent but still requires an increase of 1.26 percent in local taxpayer share.

That seeming contradiction largely results from approximately $200,000 less in state subsidy and a roughly 5 percent combination cost of living and salary step increase for all teachers.

“It’s a responsible budget,” SAD 22 Superintendent Rick Lyons said Tuesday. “Everyone involved was aware of the economic conditions we’re in. In 19 years [as superintendent] I’ve never had a budget like this.”

Indeed, tough decisions were made. Nearly $1 million in expenditures were trimmed from the current fiscal year budget. The biggest loss will come through personnel. Four full-time and two part-time teaching positions will be eliminated.

“Personnel cuts are always difficult,” Lyons said. “Usually, we might be able to lose people through attrition rather than layoffs, but that didn’t happen this year.”

Of the six positions identified for elimination, only two were not planning to return.

The cuts don’t stop there. All administrators and central office staff members agreed to a salary freeze that will save more than $60,000. SAD 22 officials also requested that teachers consider a wage freeze as well. Unfortunately, Lyons said, the teachers’ union did not endorse that idea, even though it could have saved an addi-tional $300,000 or more.

Ellen Pariser, who represents the SAD 22 teachers’ association, declined to talk about the reasons for declining that suggestion.

“Our members took a vote,” she said flatly.

Without the teachers agreeing to a salary freeze, more cuts were necessary. Some will come from books and other material supplies. Others will come from reduction in athletics.

Junior varsity hockey, freshman boys and girls basketball, freshman football and junior varsity winter cheering all have been defunded, as have the civil rights club and the environmental club. Additionally, the “B” teams at Reeds Brook for baseball, softball and boys and girls soccer have been defunded.

Lyons said it’s important to note that while funding for those programs has been eliminated, the programs themselves have not. Basically, it allows parents or other supporters to raise funds to keep them going.

“We looked at user fees, but that wasn’t supported,” the superintendent said.

Last year, SAD 22 was approved for state funding for a new high school to replace Hampden Academy. That project, to be completed by December 2011, will include about $45.4 million from the Department of Education and $6.2 million from local taxpayers. However, Lyons said, none of that local share is represented in the 2010 fiscal year budget.

SAD 22 is made up of the towns of Hampden, Newburgh and Winterport. Funding for education is split between those communities based on a complex formula that considers the number of students and the valuation of property.

Broken up by town, Hampden’s share of the $8.1 million total school budget will increase by 1.8 percent and Newburgh’s by 3.6 percent. Winterport taxpayers actually will pay 0.9 percent less in 2010 than 2009.

Townspeople still have to vote on the SAD 22 budget. The referendum will be held Tuesday, June 9, at the Hampden Municipal Building, the Newburgh Town Office and the Samuel L. Wagner Middle School in Winterport.

In the meantime, a public forum on the proposed budget will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, at Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden. A district-wide budget meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4, inside Skehan Gymnasium at Hampden Academy.

Not registered? Click here
E-mail this
Print this
Guidelines for posting on bangordailynews.com

Bangordailynews.com is pleased to offer a forum for readers to react to our stories, discuss them and provide additional information. We are reluctant to delete comments, but do reserve that right for those who abuse our forum. For more on using this site, please see our terms of service.

The primary rule here is pretty simple: Treat others with the same respect you'd want for yourself. What does that mean specifically? Here are some guidelines (see more):

Comments
5 comments on this item
On 5/20/09 at 12:03 PM, CeeBlue wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

-And 'one' wonders why teachers [their definition - not mine] have a growing negative Rep.

S.A.D. 22 is like so many government conglomerates : out of control.

My place in Hampden [is] sold - traveling E. to close - can not afford to keep it after years of planning to do so.

Report abuse
On 5/20/09 at 1:58 PM, librarygeek2 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

This article mentions personell cuts but not the fact that AT LEAST two educators did not have their contracts renewed. It makes you wonder what goes on behind the scenes despite PUBLIC budget meetings. Having moved to SAD 22 partially due to the "good school system", I wonder how beneficial the SAD 22 will actually be by the time my children graduate. How wonderful, they will graduate from a brand new high school but without the proper educators in place, who cares how modern the facilities were/are. It is apparent that we need a new building, but we need personell to help the students get the most out of that building.

Report abuse
On 5/20/09 at 2:16 PM, JJHampden wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

The economy is in a tailspin.

Many people are out of work.

More are losing their jobs.

Businesses are failing all around causing more layoffs.

Home values are "underwater".

People are losing their homes to foreclosure.

"They" don't care, give us more money.

And the town and state keeps jacking up the taxes.

"They" don't care, give us more money.

Teachers get automatic 5% raises despite the financial reality of the citizenry.

"They" don't care, give us more money.

Union boss leaches train their zombie hoards to react only One Way.

"No givebacks" as they Choke the Golden goose to death.

"They" don't care, give us more money.

Even if their coworkers are sacrificed upon the alter of socialist compliance.

They eat their own.

Because "They" don't care, give us more money.

.

The un-sustainability of it all will come to be,

Sadly, only after chaos and collapse with many lives ruined, and lost?

But, "They" don't care, give us more money.

.

"The problem with socialism, is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

Margaret Thatcher

.

The Insanity Will Be Stopped.

One way or the Other.

.

Report abuse
On 5/21/09 at 6:48 AM, tjones4 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

To those who are questioning the teachers on this, you really don't know the whole story. Has anyone ever thought to consider why SAD 22 has so many district administrators when compared to local districts of comparable size? A superintendent, asst superintendent, business manager, full time curriculum coordinator, part time curriculum coordinator, ...the list goes on.

Teachers in that district are not particularly well-paid for the Bangor area (I am sure the "myth" of "HAMPDEN would not have you believe that, however.)

The administration squeezes the teachers in that district fiercely, several "cuts" were made last year as well. There were no cuts in administration, however.

I wonder if the "cuts" were through the reduction in force (most recently hired teachers are the first to be cut)......somehow I don't think so.

Hampden taxpayers need to wake up, all is not how it appears. I always thought more teachers, less administration would be a more effective use of taxpayer money as the teachers are the ones in the classrooms every day with YOUR children. I guess Hampden likes top-heavy, inefficient administration at the expense of those who actually are in the classroom with the children. Teaching positions have dwindled in that district over the past few years, but why haven't administrative positions been cut back as well????

By the way, Hampden teachers were given no guarantee that positions would be saved if they agreed to some kind of pay cut.

Report abuse
On 5/21/09 at 12:54 PM, JJHampden wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

tjones4, “Hampden teachers were given no guarantee that positions would be saved if they agreed to some kind of pay cut.”

The Only “guarantee” anyone should get is that there are NO guarantees. - CUT

Yes, administration needs to be Cut First and Deeply as well. - CUT

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” - Benjamin Franklin

That quote can be updated to: “In this state it is certain that you will be Taxed to Death!”

Like CeeBlue said, it's Out of Control.

.

But, "They" don't care, just give us more money.

.

Report abuse
You must be logged in to post a comment. click here to log in.
Contact Us | Help/FAQ | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright ©2009 Bangor Publishing Co.

Powered by: Creative Circle Advertising Solutions, Inc.