NEWPORT, Maine — Teachers, staff and administrators in Regional School Unit 19 could be forced to take up to 10 days off without pay this year in order to help the district cope with its budget woes.
The move could save the cash-strapped district $74,000 per day, according to Interim Superintendent Ray Freve. The full school board is expected to discuss furlough options during a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Nokomis High School.
Wayne Prescott, local education association president, said his organization is against the furlough bid, because holding furlough days would violate contract agreements that specify teachers and other employees will work a certain number of days each year.
“I hope they’ll uphold these agreements,” Prescott said.
Freve said Thursday he would recommend either a five- or 10-day furlough in an effort to make up for a $295,000 revenue shortfall, which has forced the district to reduce overtime and become delinquent on some bills.
Those bills include its health insurance premiums, which hadn’t been paid since October 2015. The district recently made a past-due payment and is working closely with Anthem to catch up, according to Freve.
The board could decide to put off the decision until next month, after a critical vote on whether to accept state funding for a major school construction, renovation and demolition project.
RSU 19 includes the towns of Newport, Corinna, Dixmont, Etna, Hartland, Palmyra, Plymouth and St. Albans.
On March 29, residents of those towns face a crucial decision at the polls — whether to accept $69 million in state funding for an overhaul of the district’s aging facilities. The money would allow the district to build a new facility to house the district’s high-schoolers and middle-schoolers, convert former middle schools into elementary schools and demolish several buildings that would be vacated.
If residents decide to turn down the money, the district would be on the hook for $400,000 in planning costs that otherwise would be covered by the state, exacerbating the district’s financial problems, Freve said. The district’s shortfall would jump from less than $295,000 to $695,000, likely resulting in more furlough time.
Freve said several schools in the district still would need renovations and upgrades even if the ballot initiative fails, which also would add to the towns’ tax burdens.
If the funding is approved by voters, the entire cost of the project would be covered by the state.
“This is an unbelievably important decision because it impacts the entire district and its finances for the next decade,” Freve said.
The education association has backed the construction project, calling it vital to students’ futures and arguing it’s the best opportunity to tackle needed school building improvements without driving up local taxes.
All polling places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. Locations by town are:
— Corinna, Corinna Fire Annex, 35 Exeter Road.
— Dixmont, Dixmont town office, 758 Western Ave.
— Etna, Etna town office, 17 Shadow Lane.
— Hartland, Hartland Town Hall, 21 Academy St.
— Newport, Newport Public Safety Building, 21 Water St.
— Palmyra, Palmyra Town Hall, 778 Main St.
— Plymouth, Plymouth Town Hall, 1947 Moosehead Trail.
— St. Albans, St. Albans Town Hall, 7 Water St.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.