ROCKLAND, Maine — The superintendent of the Rockland-area school system said Wednesday that the district will regroup in the wake of the overwhelming defeat the previous day of the proposed budget for next year.
Residents in the five communities of Regional School Unit 13 rejected the $25.9 million budget for 2015-16 by a vote of 793 to 524.
Superintendent John McDonald said he will try to schedule a meeting with municipal officials from the RSU 13 communities to get their suggestions on what changes they would like to see.
The school board is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 18, at the McLain School. He said the budget will be on the agenda.
The board will decide whether to make changes and then will present its proposal to the public at another district meeting. Whatever budget is approved by residents at that meeting again will be voted on at the polls to ratify or deny. No dates for the meeting or second referendum have been set although it is expected that the district meeting will be held in July and a referendum in August.
The budget was supported only in Owls Head, which backed it 64 to 48. South Thomaston narrowly voted against it 43 to 42, and Cushing rejected it 99 to 79. The two largest RSU 13 communities soundly defeated the budget — Rockland on a 393 to 195 tally and Thomaston by a 210 to 144 tally.
Selectmen in Thomaston and city councilors in Rockland had called for a reduction in the budget. Thomaston town officials took out advertisements and sent out newsletters urging rejection of the school budget.
The $25.9 million budget would have had Rockland pay an additional $1.2 million in property taxes. Thomaston would have paid an additional $576,000, Cushing $430,000, Owls Head $295,000 and South Thomaston $197,000.
There are costs attached to holding a new election. The district spends about $1,000 for printing ballots, and Rockland spent about $529 to hold the election. RSU 13 Business Manager Peter Orne said there also are costs associated with staffers spending time working on a revised budget. And City Clerk Stuart Sylvester said time is spent by municipal clerks to hold the elections.