DYER BROOK, Maine — The RSU 50 board of directors unanimously approved a $5 million school budget for Southern Aroostook Community School Thursday during a special board meeting.
The $5,024,735 budget marks the first time that RSU 50 has crafted a spending plan solely for SACS since the RSU was formed back in July 2011 as part of the state’s consolidation efforts. The RSU originally covered both Southern Aroostook Community, Katahdin Area High and Katahdin Elementary schools.
Back in November, the communities of Patten, Sherman, Mount Chase, and Stacyville voted to pull out of RSU 50 and form their own school district.
Because of this separation, Superintendent Todd LeRoy said it was difficult to compare the proposed spending plan to last year.
“The budget you see is up a little bit (4.8 percent) in terms of the impact to local taxpayers,” he said. “The increase is the result of three things, all coming from the state. Our allocation was decreased; the mill rate expectation went up by half-a-point; and most of our communities saw an increase in their assessed property values.”
LeRoy said the increase in the mill rate was one of the largest seen in the district for the past decade.
RSU 50 will receive $2,328,866 in state funds, provided the communities contribute $1,558,402 in local funds. Because the district’s budget exceeds the state and local amounts determined by the state’s essential programs and services formula, an extra $788,876 is needed from “additional local” funds.
To help balance the budget, the district plans to use $275,000 from its carry forward account, LeRoy said.
A number of reductions were made to the budget in order to reduce the burden to taxpayers. One of the most dramatic cuts involved the elimination of LeRoy’s position as superintendent. His tenure with the district will end once his contract expires on June 30.
Starting next year, SACS Principal Jon Porter will serve a dual role as both principal and superintendent for the district. To help ease Porter’s workload, an assistant principal will be sought.
The budget now goes to a district budget meeting on Thursday, May 31, at 7 p.m. at SACS, followed by a referendum vote on Tuesday, June 12, during the state elections.
