As the rain tapped on the roof at Southern Aroostook Community School during Monday’s RSU 50 meeting, board members were discussing approval for roofing projects in the district.
Powers of Caribou was awarded the roofing contract for both the Katahdin Elementary School (administrative area and sixth-grade wing) and Southern Aroostook Community School (elevated area around the multi-purpose room). Bid proposals were received from Powers and Roof Systems of Maine.
Powers was recommended by the Buildings and Grounds Committee.
“With the approval of the proposal tonight, we would tell them it was based on budget approval,” said RSU 50 Superintendent Larry Malone. The approval of the proposal allows Dale Pratt, facilities director, to secure dates.
On June 2, the RSU 50 budget meeting will be held in Island Falls at the Municipal Building to act on the proposed school budget for fiscal year 2016. The budget meeting is at 7 p.m.
The proposed budget is $9,510,396 for the coming year. The proposed budget has an increase of $85,392 and is less than a percent higher than last year. The anticipated state allocation is $4,804,749 (a decrease of $3,865 from a year ago) and local required match is proposed at $2,567,567, a difference of $62,634 from last year.
Local share for each town in the district, which includes additional local funding and adult education costs, are: Crystal ($182,919); Dyer Brook ($212,951); Hersey ($51,709); Island Falls ($810,715); Merrill ($172,036); Moro ($83,370); Mt. Chase ($329,886); Oakfield ($527,098); Patten ($466,111); Sherman ($526,853); Smyrna ($243,549) and Stacyville ($222,439).
Mt. Chase, Patten and Sherman are still progressing with a withdrawal plan from the RSU.
Driving the increase in the budget is Career and Technical with the addition of a new electrical program, transportation with a new bus lease, facilities maintenance with the addition of two roofing projects, and student and staff support, with the addition of a curriculum coordinator for $60,000, as well as salary increases and increases in retirement costs and health insurance.
Budget reductions were found in regular instruction with a retirement and resignation of two classroom teachers and the retirement of a music educator. In Special Education, costs were saved with the elimination of three Ed Tech positions and two part-time teaching positions, and in the School Administration line, there was the reduction of one secretary position.
Malone broke down the staffing plan in the district as of May 1.
“This is all subject to change based on what happens with some of our vacancies,” he said. “We look at current needs in our district, take our staffing and we assign it to those areas. As a result of what we did, we had no reduction in force.
“We did gather savings through the process,” Malone added. “There was change in the positions and/or through attrition — people who left our district.”
RSU 50 does have some teaching openings — Katahdin Middle School math, Southern Aroostook life science, Katahdin and Southern Aroostook high school math and world language positions — which have been advertised.
“We have reduced the budget by creating more consolidation in some of our services,” said Malone. “Hiring for [vacant] positions is a concern for us. We advertised the week before [April] vacation, so we have been four weeks out. Other than some inquiry that has occurred in-house, there have been no outside candidates.”
The budget validation referendum is June 16 at local polls in each town.
In other business: Cynthia Cronin retired from Southern Aroostook Community School after 15 years of service as a high school math/physical science teacher and on the school leadership team.
“She will be certainly someone we will miss and we really appreciate all the hard work and dedication you have given to our school, community and kids,” said Jon Porter, principal of RSU 50.
Also resigning is Rick Larrabee, social studies teacher at Katahdin Middle/High School.
Suzette Tarr was appointed to the position of Technology Technician at Southern Aroostook Community School for fiscal year 2016, and Daphne Nason was nominated to fill the vacancy of Elementary Special Education teacher at Southern Aroostook Community School. She was offered a one-year probationary contract for school year 2015-16.
With new members joining the board, Malone presented a binder of information regarding consolidation, including the organizational plan; RSU 50 Task Force Report, which the scenarios for consolidation were derived; mission statement; challenges of early consolidation and benefits; current bus route plans; enrollment projections; expenditure of facilities; consolidated issues (critical, serious or minor) from Ames Report; remaining eight scenarios and cost reduction associated with each one, along with other information on tuition of students and the formation of a new RSU.
