DYER BROOK, Maine — A group of 110 voters among seven communities voted Tuesday, June 15, to approve a $5.6 million spending plan for RSU 50.
By a vote of 84 in favor and 26 opposed, the $5,689,349 school budget is now approved for the 2021-22 school year. The RSU 50 school board meets Thursday evening to ratify the results.
The budget passed in all seven communities. A breakdown of the vote by town was: Crystal, five in favor and two opposed; Dyer Brook, 11 in favor and two opposed; Hersey, one in favor, none opposed; Island Falls, 19 in favor, 11 opposed; Merrill, seven in favor, six opposed; Oakfield, 24 in favor, two opposed; and Smyrna, 17 in favor, three opposed.
The spending plan is an increase of $57,176 (0.57 percent) from the previous year. That increase was necessary to cover rises in salaries and benefits due to collective bargaining agreements; a higher minimum wage; and the teacher’s minimum salary going up from $35,000 to $37,500 a year, according to RSU 50 Superintendent Jon Porter.
RSU 50 will receive $2,458,954 in the form of state aid, which is down $226,925 from the current budget. In order to receive those funds, the district must raise $1,515,680 in required local dollars, which is a decrease of $24,764.
Because the total budget is higher than the state’s Essential Programs and Services, the district must raise an extra $1,086,891 in additional local dollars. That amount is up $138,866 from last year.
