UNITY, Maine — Property tax assessments for the 11 member towns of Regional School Unit 3 will increase by more than half a million dollars overall to pay for the 2015-2016 proposed school budget.
The $19.9 million budget that recently was approved by the RSU 3 board of directors includes the elimination of one middle school teaching position and the addition of two elementary school teachers and one social worker, according to RSU 3 Superintendent Heather Perry. She said in a media release issued this week that the budget reflects an increase of .34 percent over last year’s school budget, though at first glance the numbers appear to show a larger increase.
That’s because the RSU 3 proposed budget includes $300,000 in MaineCare expenditures, which is directly reimbursed by the state, and nearly $200,000 for the Day One Program, which is, too.
But, “even with this meager increase in overall expenditures, local tax assessments will go up,” Perry wrote.
That’s because of a loss of $511,022 in state subsidy, she said. Property taxpayers in the far-flung district, comprising the towns of Brooks, Freedom, Jackson, Knox, Liberty, Monroe, Montville, Thorndike, Troy, Unity and Waldo, will need to make up for the lost state funds and also for a $66,700 increase in the district’s expenditures.
Perry wrote that since 2008, the school district has lost approximately $5 million in federal and state funds. Since then, the district has cut about 26 positions, dropping from 331 full-time employees in 2008 to 305 full-time employees. About two-thirds of the district’s overall costs are salaries and employee benefits.
The proposed budget includes adding one classroom teacher at Morse Elementary School in Brooks and Mount View Elementary School in Thorndike “to reduce class size,” Perry wrote. But it also reduces funds for intramural activities and the position of assistant cheering coach at Mount View Middle School. The budget lines for transportation and facilities and maintenance are down by 3 percent each because of moving to a single bus run and locking in lower fuel oil prices for the next fiscal year.
“In summary, once again the RSU 3 board of directors has worked to do its best to balance the needs of our taxpayers with the needs of our children,” Perry wrote.
The board of directors will present the budget to the community at the district budget meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at the Mount View Middle School gymnasium in Thorndike. After the budget is approved by the community, it needs to be validated via a public referendum, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, at local polling places.