$7.13M SAD 4 budget set for June 14 referendum

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

GUILFORD — A proposed $7,133,215 SAD 4 budget for the 2016-17 academic year was approved at the annual district budget meeting on May 26 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School. The $7.13 million-plus figure will now go to a referendum in the towns of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington on Tuesday, June 14 with residents of the half dozen communities voting either “yes” or “no” to make a district-wide decision on the 2017 budget. Updated detailed financial information is available on the www.sad4.org home page.

The figure approved at the district budget meeting represents a decrease of just over $29,000 (about .4 percent) from the current year’s spending plan. The approximate $7.13 million also is a decrease of over $112,500 from the budget total that was brought forward on May 26 after motions to amend three articles were passed (19 various motion amendments were put to a vote across the nearly three hours residents were gathered in the elementary school cafeteria).

A motion to reduce the system administration article by $100,000 to $284,833 was passed via a show of hands. A majority of those present also voted to reduce the total earmarked for student and staff support by $91,435 to a total of $721,275.

The third amendment OKed — via a hand count of 78-60 — on May 26 increased regular education instruction by $78,902 to a little less than $2,977,000. The approved increase was the eighth article amendment brought forward, the second to increase the figure after three to decrease and another three to approve the article as written were voted down.

The revised $7,133,215 2016-17 budget includes a total of just under $4,152,000 in local assessments — comprised of local required and local additional monies along with funding for adult education — for the six towns. This figure is up by a little more than $479,000 (about 13 percent) from the current academic year as each of the communities has an increase in assessment in the proposed budget.

Abbot’s approximate $802,472 figure represents an over $79,750 increase; $263,153 for Cambridge is about $28,985 more than the year before; Guilford would see a $159,024 increase for an assessment of $1,205,539; Parkman’s share would be $537,900 or $88,172 more than in 2015-16; Sangerville’s total of $782,255 is up by $93,415; and Wellington would see an increase of $29,725 for a total of $190,231.

During the information session prior to the district budget meeting, Superintendent Ann C. Kirkpatrick explained several of the cost centers in the budget that was brought forward to May 26 including a loss of over $200,000 in state subsidies. She said SAD 4’s enrollment has dropped in five years from just under 700 to 575 projected for 2016-17, but high school numbers are expected to climb from 163 next year to 170 the year after, to 183 in 2018-19 and then to 200 in 2019-20.

“Our special ed percentage is rising from 12 to 20 percent,” she said about the increase in students receiving some form of special services over the same half decade timeframe.

Kirkpatrick said the budget includes a 2.5 percent raise for teachers and 2 percent increase for non-contract staff.

The district’s health insurance costs are up about 8.5 percent from 2015-16 for “over a $200,000 increase to the budget right off the bat,” Kirkpatrick said.

“We are looking to cut four teachers to half-time at the high school,” she said, about alternative education, foreign language, health and physical education positions.

The SAD 4 school board is scheduled to meet next on Wednesday, June 15, the day after the budget referendum.