STACYVILLE, Maine — The RSU 50 board reviewed the proposed 2016-17 budget Monday evening, which included details about relocating some Katahdin Elementary School students to the high school at the start of the next school year.
As presented, the proposed budget for next year is $9,619,445, which represents an increase in spending of $140,766 (1.49 percent) from last year. The district will receive $4,890,664 from the state, which is an increase of $17,632.
However, in order to receive those state funds, the district must come up with a required local share in the amount of $2,551,448, which is an increase of $52,165.
Because the district is spending more than the state says it should be to provide Essential Programs and Services (EPS), the district must also raise additional local dollars to balance the budget. That amount for next year will be $1,291,322, which is up $70,969 from 2015-16.
According to Interim Superintendent Mike Hammer, some of the driving factors for the increased budget are rises in teacher’s salaries and benefits; a jump in contracted special education services; a need to take over the expense of the summer school program after grant funds ended; and $50,000 for a curriculum/reading program at the elementary school.
The facilities maintenance account features a decrease of $174,584 as the district plans to do fewer major repair projects next year.
“This budget does not put everything in that we wanted to do,” Hammer said. “There are no major additions.”
Hammer said the 2016-17 proposed budget included the first step in a two-year process to move students from KES into the high school, with the intentions of closing the elementary school. That plan was created after an initial effort to close the high school and send those students to Southern Aroostook met with staunch resistance from the public.
Under this proposal, the first step includes moving the fifth and sixth grades to the high school starting next year, while giving the district an additional year to come up with plans to move the remaining student body to the high school so that the elementary building could be closed and listed on the real estate market.
There are 182 students enrolled in the Katahdin Elementary School and 150 at the high school.
The board is expected to adopt the budget at its Monday, May 9 meeting, while the district budget meeting is tentatively slated for Thursday, May 26.
During the public comments section of the meeting, Richard Schmidt of Patten read a prepared statement to the board, requesting no action be taken to alter either KES or KMHS because of the pending petitions by several communities in the district to withdraw from RSU 50.
“I would like to thank those of you who continue to work on formulating options to make our district more efficient,” Schmidt said. “Your job is not only challenging, it is very personal for all of us. It’s our duty as parents to ensure that our local school district is providing students with the best education for the tax dollars we are spending.”
For this reason, Schmidt said the communities of Patten, Mt. Chase, Sherman, Stacyville, Hersey and Moro Plantation were all considering leaving RSU 50 as an option. Mt. Chase is already in the process of withdrawing from the district, while the other communities are expected to vote on June 14 to see if residents wish to officially start the process of pulling out of the district.
Those votes will take place on the same day that residents are asked to cast their ballot on the school budget.
“Whether or not these two buildings in Stacyville remain as an educational footprint is arguable,” Schmidt said. “The fact that they are assets to these communities is not [arguable] in my opinion. For you to act further on any restructure, at this time, would not be beneficial to the students or taxpayers.”
