HOULTON, Maine — With little discussion, a small group of 32 residents approved a $13.2 million budget for RSU 29 on Wednesday, May 17.
“I think the board and administrators did a wonderful job helping put the budget together,” RSU 29 Superintendent Ellen Schneider said. “This is a budget that meets the needs of our students, but yet is cognizant of our taxpayers needs.”
The budget total was less than what the school’s finance committee originally put forth as the board was able to reduce the amount of money needed for health insurance premiums.
“Each year, we are given a range of anticipated health insurance premiums while we are in the planning stages of our budget,” Schneider explained. “Often, the final changes come after the board has approved the budget.”
The board originally budgeted for an 8 percent increase in health insurance premiums, but the actual total was only 1.18 percent. The board amended its budget to allow for a 5 percent increase in insurance costs, which according to Schneider will allow the district to have extra funds should any unforseen insurance claim adjustments come up.
Any money that is not spent by the end of the year is rolled over into the district’s surplus account. The district currently has about $750,000 in that account.
As presented, the total budget of $13,248,772 represents a 0.71 percent increase over the current budget. The district is targeted to receive more money from the state in the 2017-18 school year, but will have to come up with more local funds to receive that state money.
Under the proposed budget, the required local share for RSU 29 is $3,276,761, with the state kicking in $9,173,398. Adult education expenses will be $73,000, while the district’s share of the Region Two budget will be $10,197.
Additional local tax dollars will be needed to balance the budget. This year, that amount is $117,614, which is down from the $200,000 originally proposed. Last year’s additional local amount was $111,982.
Two teaching positions — one in second grade and another in fifth — will be eliminated under the proposed budget, but no individuals will lose their jobs, Schneider said. One of the positions is a retirement that will not be filled, while the other involves converting a fifth-grade teacher to fill a third-grade vacancy.
“While we have worked several months in preparing this budget we present to you tonight, the state is still in the process of making final allocations to Maine schools,” Schneider said. “Even now, we still await the final state approval. We hold our collective breath and hope that any news we receive will be good news, and not news of devastating reductions which are facing many school districts throughout the state.”
Now that it has been approved at the district budget meeting, the package will go to a referendum vote on June 13 in the communities of Houlton, Hammond, Littleton and Monticello.
