LINCOLN, Maine — Voters in three towns turned down RSU 67’s school budget by a large margin on Tuesday.
A total of 326 voters from Lincoln, Mattawamkeag and Chester voted against the $12,267,722 budget, while 190 voted for it.
Lincoln residents voted against the budget 276-146. Chester rejected the budget by a vote of 28-10. Mattawamkeag voters accepted the budget 34-22.
The RSU 67 school board will now have to scramble to get a different budget approved.
“We have to go back and have another budget meeting, another validation vote and determine what effect this late of a vote will have on the upcoming school year,” said Jackie Thurlow, chairwoman of the RSU 67 school board. “We’re going to start school and not have a budget.
“We still need to take stock of where we are and how we’re going to get a budget passed,” she added.
Also on Lincoln’s ballot was a Federal Aviation Administration grant that would allow the town to purchase property at the local airport.
Lincoln voters accepted the $237,000 grant to acquire land at the airport, including a small terminal building, a nearby hangar and about five acres at the north end of the runway. The land also has a campground near the Penobscot River. The town will have to kick in $11,850 for the purchase. The measure passed 317-105.
On Monday, Mattawamkeag held its town meeting, at which three positions needed to be filled.
Former Selectman Joseph Murray earned 61 votes to win a seat on the Board of Selectmen held by Joey Grant. Grant did not take out papers to be re-elected but finished second with 37 write-in votes. Louis Ruppe, who did take out papers for the position, received 12 votes.
Wilderness Park Commissioner Edward Madden was re-elected through write-in votes.
No one took out papers to fill a vacant RSU 67 school board position, but John Whitehouse earned the most write-in votes with five. He has not come forward to either accept or decline the election, according to a town official.
Why can’t this super pass a budget?! Sounds like a lack of leadership in the district to me.
This is the THIRD time voting on this budget :/ What a joke.
It will be the 5th in two years. Will it be a 20 percent pass rate or 40 percent? We got a peach with this one. The next election should help but it will take years to recover.
Sadly the RSU 67 Board of Directors dropped the ball by giving this first time super a 5 year contract in the first place.
She had no prior experience running a district. She has forced qualified people from postitions she has then filled with her cronies of questionable qualifictions and instilled a hostile atmosphere in a school system that had until she took over, had met or exceeded state requirements.
Her “My way or the highway” approach has had a serious impact on the educational foundation that the previous administrations and faculty had pain stakenly created.
The losers here are the students.
I for one would also like an accounting of her stipends beyond her agreed to salery. It seems very strange to me that such information is not available on the RSU web site, nor for that matter, as of 10 days ago, was the proposed budget.
Kudos to the voters for not giving this board or this super a blank check!
For my 11 kids that would be approx $110,000 per year.
Give it to me and my home schooling Mom. We’ll bring them to Egypt instead of reading about it!!
“We still need to take stock of where we are and how we’re going to get a budget passed,” she added.
There is no reason for Ms. Thurlow to wonder how they will get a budget passed. The community has made it very, very clear on several occasions that they will not pass a budget that included adding administrative positions that are not needed while cutting teaching positions that work directly with students. This district does not want to be top-heavy. Not only is she adding administrators, but they are also giving administrators $5000.00 raises. There is a second year administrator, who is so inept that they had to hire a second administrator to work with her, that also received a $5000 raise AND a three year contract! They placed a board member’s daughter into an administrative position that she is not even qualified for (this will be the second year the super receives a hefty stipend for overseeing her), and hired a board member’s mother to be the super’s secretary. And, in an attempt to punish the teachers at one school who aren’t afraid to speak up at board meetings to defend what is best for students, she cut a math position at the school. A math position????? Yes, a math position. The super is an evil, vengeful person who is only interested in controlling people and ruining lives. So, Ms. Thurlow, there is the reason your budgets continue to fail.
The saddest part is that this ISN”T about money. It’s about communication and lack of trust. Why should we accept a budget that is mostly made up by a board/superintendent we don’t trust. If the chairman of the board can write a letter recommending it, then I know I need to question it. My faith in the school board is at an all time low. When the new AP at MJHS is coming in at more money and less qualifications than his predecessor (public information available for the asking), why would I support any fiscal move they make. Our highly qualified employees are being allowed to slip away AND at times encouraged to leave if not blantantly pushed out, in exchange for people with no experience and at a higher pay. One administrator after 1 year in the job received a 7 to 8 % raise while getting an assistant to “help her with the discipline problems”. So she has less responsiblities and more pay. Our board is not being fiscally responsible with our funds so I refuse to support them in what they present.
I’m getting ready for the next round, please plan to attend. I’m sure it will be well advertised!
Dolly Phillips
Concerned Parent!
Why
doesn’t the budget pass? The board and the superintendent are
emphatic that sweeping change is needed throughout the district.
Anybody who questions the mandated top down changes are labeled
insubordinate and punished accordingly. Doesn’t matter if you are an
employee, parent, student, or taxpayer. You speak out, you are a
target.
Changes
so far this summer, stating positions only, including job changes:
Principal, Asst. Principal, Band Teacher, Title 1 Ed Tech
Coordinator/Guidance Secretary, Nurse, Guidance Counselor, 2 Grade 6
ELA/SS, Grade 5/6 Literacy Teacher, Grade 5/6 Literacy Specialist,
Grade 5/6 math, Grade 7/8 Science (twice), IT Specialist, Grade 5-8
Choral Teacher, 2 Grade 7/8 ELA Teachers, Grade 7/8 Math Teacher,
Computer Teacher, and Social Worker. That’s 19 changes TO THE
JUNIOR HIGH ALONE, with 14 people leaving. How
is this kind of change going to ever benefit students?
Bottom line: the
super and the board have established a reputation in this community of getting mad and getting even. They lie or tell half-truths. They cover up. They manipulate. They bully. They have escorted many many staff members out of the school buildings as a disciplinary action, during the school day, in front of students these past two years. Yes, in front of students. They go to the police station and try to get taxpayers arrested for questioning on social networking sites, and they even go so far as to create outlandish district policies in order to keep people in line. Because so many in the community
have experienced firsthand the bullying tactics they commonly use to intimidate the masses, the word is pervasively out there.
Pretty sure that’s
why the budget won’t pass, Mrs. Thurlow.