ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland area school board is scheduled to vote Thursday evening on a proposed 2015-2016 budget that would significantly increase taxes for member communities.
The spending package totals $25,567,000, a 6 percent decrease over the current budget. The decrease is the result, in part, of the loss of the St. George School. St. George is withdrawing from the district on July 1.
Despite the reduced budget, the amount that the communities will need to raise in property taxes to pay for the budget will increase substantially. The tax increase is due to a reduction in state aid, coupled with the loss of taxes raised by St. George.
Rockland’s payment to RSU 13 is expected to increase by about $1.5 million under the proposed budget. Thomaston and Cushing are both expected to pay about $450,000 more with Owls Head paying about $250,000 more and South Thomaston more than $150,000.
The budget will result in the elimination of three teaching positions at the middle schools due to reduced enrollment. Business Manager Peter Orne said no employees are expected to lose their jobs with those cuts because of already planned retirements and departures.
The proposed budget adds an assistant principal at the South Elementary School in Rockland, a gifted and talented program teacher, and a custodian to serve the South Elementary School and Rockland District Middle School.
Another proposed addition involves a prekindergarten program that would consist of three classrooms. This would be paid for with a federal grant the district received. One classroom is expected to be in the Owls Head Central School and the two others at the Head Start building in Rockland.
The budget includes pay raises for staff. The district has a contract with teachers for next year that provides an increase of slightly more than 3 percent.
The RSU 13 meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the McLain School.
Residents of the five RSU 13 communities can have their say on the budget at a district-wide budget vote scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at Oceanside High School East’s auditorium in Rockland. Registered voters of the five communities can attend that meeting and make motions to cut or add to the budget.
Whatever amount is approved by voters at the May 21 meeting will then go on the June 9 ballot for a “yes” or “no” vote at the polls in each community. If the budget is rejected at the polls, it would go back to the board, back to a district-wide meeting and then back to the polls until a budget is adopted.