By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
Members of the Eastern Regional School Unit 39 met at the Limestone Community School on July 21. Prior to the regular agenda registered voters from the Caribou, Limestone and Stockholm RSU 39 municipalities voted, publicly, on the consideration to expend $87,400 from the Limestone reserve fund, which was transferred to RSU3 9 by the town of Limestone at the time that RSU 39 was formed.
Limestone residents favored the expenditure in order to reduce the amount of RSU 39’s tax assessment against the town for the 2010-11 fiscal year. Had the vote not favored the expenditure from the reserve account, Limestone taxpayers most likely would have seen an increase in their mil rate in order to meet their school obligation.
A fairly small number of voters turned out for the vote and heard RSU 39 board member and Limestone resident/business woman Michelle Albert caution,“That reserve (currently estimated to be $722,000) fund is only going to last so long — without fund-raising — you’ve got to start raising the mil rate — this school budget is just going to get worse.”
Albert stated that there would come a time when the reserve account was gone and residents would be faced with a hefty mil rate increase.
One concern brought forward prior to the vote was that the RSU budget was not in place prior to the Limestone town meeting, when that budget was decided upon, creating the possibility that selectpeople would have to go back to residents, requesting approval for budget increases.
One other issue directed to the RSU 39 board and Frank McElwain, superintendent, was whether or not teacher contracts had been solidified and what effect they (contracts) would have on the tax assessments already in place.
McElwain informed the group in attendance that the teacher contracts in question were still in the midst of negotiations however the resulting contracts would not affect the town’s obligation.
Robert Edgecomb was nominated and sworn in as moderator for the vote, with Laurie Chapman taking the oath of ballot clerk.
