ORONO, Maine — Voters in Orono overwhelmingly favored the RSU 26 budget in Tuesday’s elections, trumping the “no” votes that were the majority in Veazie and Glenburn, the two other towns in the district.
The total among the three towns was 1,135 to 836 in favor of the school budget.
Orono residents backed the budget 740-352. Glenburn residents voted 231-188 to reject the budget and Veazie’s results were 253-207 against the budget. Both Veazie and Glenburn are drafting plans to withdraw from the district.
During a May 29 school district budget meeting attended by about 60 people from the three towns, residents voted to add $265,000 to the board-recommended budget, bringing the total budget to roughly $21.8 million — an increase of about $480,000 over last year’s budget.
Brian McGill of Orono suggested the addition to the budget as a way of giving the board extra money to work with in an attempt to reinstate the Glenburn assistant principal’s position to the budget and add back several other positions throughout the district that have been cut or reduced during the budgeting process.
Glenburn residents argued that not having an assistant principal in a school with more than 400 K-8 students presented a significant safety risk.
After much wrangling and discussion during that three-hour meeting, residents approved the move in ballot voting.
Some town officials and residents were critical of the budget move, arguing that while adding money to the budget might bring back positions at the district’s schools, it will mean tax increases in each community.
Glenburn Town Councilor Michael O’Connor said during the May 29 meeting that the town already has passed a bare-bones budget and any increase in local allocations would need to be covered almost entirely by a tax hike.
Veazie Town Manager Joseph Hayes has echoed those concerns.
In coming weeks, the school board will determine how to allocate the additional $265,000.
While technically true that Glenburn and Veazie had majorities vote no it was only 45% for/55% against in both towns. Those towns were close to evenly dvided. And given all the focus and energy on withdrawal in both those towns giving a negative view of the RSU as well as town budget problems in both towns, I think it is pretty amazing the school budget came close to passing in both towns. The bottom line is people in all three towns value their schools.
Certain members of the board have been making noises about how they have the last word on how and whether this money gets spent. They do. I hope they somewhere along the way they start listening. Citizens told them in March based on a survey that 67% percent favored a small tax increase. The vote in May at the budget meeting was at least 2/3 in favor. The final vote in June was 58% in favor. There is a pattern here …
It would be small minded and sour grapes for the board to not respect the citizens wishes at this point.
The problem is that the chairperson Ms Buck is against anything that would assist the town schools she represents. The thing we have to do is make sure that people continue to go to the meetings and hold her accountable
You can see, but you do not listen. Dr Buck as Chair has pointed out to those who listen the basic fact that student population numbers continue to drop. You may come back with a “bubble” which then will stabilize, but the overall undeniable fact is that in the previous 25 years there are probably close to a 100 less resident students in Orono. OHS has been able to grow and expand programming at the expense of tuition students, which make up close to 40-45% of the student population. I am sensing you may not like the current Chair’s approach, you are entitled, but if you fail to hear the message then we are all doomed. I am an Orono resident, and I applaud the manner in which the Board is attempting to balance educating children, and being fiscally responsible.
So we’re supposed to plan next years budgets based on some oracular vision of what the schools will be like in 25 years. Even when the enrollment for kindergartners is the largest in years? Really?
The Board was attempting to, and should be visioning into the future. Not only building a budget for next year, but anticipating changes down the road. We are no experiencing a bubble, and that will carry on, but get the projections, past and present from the Superintendent’s office – then see for yourself what it looks like. We cannot get students to attend the high school from local communities, and you tell me there is not a student population problem?
With all due respect, vision is not a word I would use to describe the discussions this spring. It was 100% mired in formulas and who recommended which cut. If there had been a serious discussion about our core educational values and how to build those in the context of real constraints, I would have been the first one to applaud. And if there was any small vision discussion it was all in the finance committee – 4 people’s opinions are not a vision. Their vision as best I could tell was to get closer to the state EPS formula. This is clearly not the community’s vision based on the vote. Vision building requires an entire community. Indeed it requires open meetings, surveys etc. But we already know what you think about that. I’m sorry but the process was anything but visionary. If it had been, we’d be in a different place.
The RSU 26 voters have spoken and it is time for Buck and O’Roak to start listening. This is not rocket science-the student population is less likely to decline and our property values are less likely to fall if we continue to support great schools.
As you cannot see nor do you care to listen, let me explain, this is a Democracy. The people have spoken, accept this and get positive. The world is not coming to an end and Orono schools have and will prevail! Power to the people!
We are not a Democracy, we are a Republic.
I have to admit I am a little tired of the “survey” you all keep presenting, for you have not included all the information. What you are presenting are the results of those (selective) individuals who took the survey. I mean no disrespect but the survey you refer to is as scientifically based as: “Do you like mustard on you hot dog, or do you prefer relish.”
Um, the survey said 68% of Orono citizens favored a small tax increase. The Orono town vote said 67% favored a small tax increase. Hard to criticize its accuracy now. Just because it is data that you don’t like doesn’t mean it can be wished away.That has seemed to happen a lot the last six months.