SAD 46 voters OK $13.97M budget

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DEXTER — A proposed 2016-17 budget of $13,967,172 was approved during the annual district budget meeting on June 9 at the Ridge View Community School. The total was then moved to the referendum in the towns of Dexter, Exeter, Garland and Ripley on Tuesday June 14 — results were not available as of presstime.

Superintendent Kevin Jordan said the near $13.97 million figure represents an increase of a little more than $761,000 from the current year (5.76 percent). Jordan said the increase includes about $300,000 in additional state funding for debt service, and without these monies the total budget is up by 3.46 percent from 2015-16.

“We have to show it in the budget but we actually don’t get the money,” Jordan said about the the state funding.

The combined assessments between the four SAD 46 communities is $3,279,893, nearly $52,000 or 1.56 percent less than the year before. Dexter’s contribution of about $1,990,670 is $34,770 or 1.72 percent less than in 2015-16, Exeter’s $33,100 share is up by just under $5,000 or 0.94 percent, Garland would see an approximate $16,850 reduction (3.49 percent) to $465,565 and Ripley would fund $290,540 or about $5,300 less (1.79 percent) of the SAD 46 budget.

In his presentation, Jordan said he wanted those in attendance to see the totals of the proposed district budget and the preceding seven spending plans. He said it is important to note that the budget has only gone by 8.61 percent from the 2010 fiscal year ($12.86 million to near $13.97 million), for an average of 1.23 percent each year.

The superintendent said he also wanted the public to know a $454,384 balance is being carried forward to 2016-17, and these funds have not been spent.

In addition to the monetary warrant items, non-exclusive 10-year tuition contracts between SAD 46 and Harmony and Athens were approved.

“What it does, it locks in a guaranteed tuition rate which provides some relief for Harmony and Athens,” Jordan said, mentioning these two Somerset County communities both have school choice. SAD 46 and Harmony previously had a decade-long contract, which was renewed, and the agreement with Athens is new.

When asked, the superintendent said no Athens students currently attend SAD 46 schools. “Right now we have none, it’s a transition,” he said. “They are used to going to going to Skowhegan, Madison way for everything they do.”

Jordan said tuition rates are set by the state in December.