Next budget meeting July 19

Referendum would be July 26

GUILFORD — After a proposed $7,133,215 SAD 4 budget for the 2016-17 academic year was voted down at the June 14 referendum — by a margin of 389-149 across the six district communities — the school board will now be working to bring another version of the spending plan to the voters. A budget work schedule was set for the next month by the board during a June 15 meeting at Piscataquis Community Elementary School (PCES).

The school board budget committee was set to have a workshop on June 21. “We will just talk about ideas and go from there, nothing binding,” Board Chair Cindy Hoak said.  Budget committee meetings are scheduled for June 22 and 29 at 6 p.m. at PCES.

Hoak said the school board will meet on Wednesday, July 6 at 7 p.m. “That will be just to vote on the budget,” she said. “(Tuesday) July 19 will be the public meeting and the public vote,” she said, with this evening starting at 6 p.m. with an information session on the revised 2016-17 budget.

“The public meeting is on the 19th and the vote would be on the 26th,” Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick said, as on July 26 residents of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington would vote either “yes” or “no” to make another district-wide decision on the 2017 budget.

While the budget process continues, the school board authorized Kirkpatrick to continue the teacher hiring process with candidate approval by the directors set for the regular August meeting. “We do have applicants,” Kirkpatrick said, with SAD 4 having vacancies such as two high school science and a special education position as well as for PCES music.

In her report, Kirkpatrick encouraged the board to always call her should they see rumors and hearsay on social media. The superintendent said Facebook postings have indicated that Piscataquis Community Secondary School would be closing with the older students attending Foxcroft Academy. Kirkpatrick said all the procedures needed for such a change would take at least a year to carry out.

“All the people in my office have taken phishing awareness training,” Kirkpatrick said, with these sessions provided for free by the Department of Defense and requiring a score of 100 percent to pass.

The superintendent was then asked about the March data breach of SAD 4 employees, affecting at least 55 employees who have requested police reports connected to the breach after becoming victims of identity theft. 

“It’s in process and that’s all I can tell you at this juncture,” Kirkpatrick said.