BANGOR, Maine — Bangor’s city councilors backed a $44.3 million proposed school budget Monday night, sending it to the city’s voters for approval next month.
The budget represents a roughly $400,000, or just under 1 percent, increase over the current year’s.
For taxpayers, that’s an improvement over the $44.7 million budget the school board considered for a first reading back in March. That version represented a 1.8 percent increase over the previous one, or about $789,000 more that would need to be contributed by taxpayers.
Superintendent Betsy Webb stressed to councilors the fact that over the last eight budgets, the school district has seen a 7.2 percent reduction in funding from the state. During that same time, the district’s budget has increased by an average of less than 1 percent each year.
The district also has seen successes during that period. Its four-year graduation rate has grown from 71 percent to 87 percent; it’s dropout rate fell from 7 percent to 2 percent.
Webb said the per-pupil cost of education in Bangor is lower than 75 percent of Maine schools. The average cost of educating a student in Bangor is about $8,606, about $400 lower than the state average.
“It really comes down to the quality of education you’re getting for the cost,” Webb said.
Bangor Finance Director Debbie Cyr has said that, in general, a $120,000 increase in expenses or decrease in revenue results in a 5-cent increase to the mill rate. So, with the loss in subsidy and increases in the budget, the school portion of Bangor’s budget could contribute to a roughly 17-cent increase on the city’s mill rate. The current citywide tax rate is $21.95.
The public will make the final decision on this budget during the validation election scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, at the Cross Insurance Center. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Early voting is available Monday, June 6, through Thursday, June 9, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Cross Insurance Center’s main ballroom. Voting Wednesday will end early, at noon. Absentee ballots can be picked up at the city clerk’s office through June 9.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.