SAD 46 officials working on 2022 budget
DEXTER — The SAD 46 budget committee is in the midst of its meeting schedule, with two sessions taking place last month and three more set for Wednesday evenings this month. The school board learned more about the budget process during a March 3 meeting conducted over Zoom.
“The budget committee met twice, we met Feb. 10 and we met Feb. 24,” Superintendent Kevin Jordan said. He said so far the group has reviewed the finances for the current 2020-21 fiscal year.
“At this point there are no concerns as the year is moving on,” Jordan said, with about a third of the academic year remaining. “We are in good shape with no concerns.”
“We are receiving just under $155,000 less in state subsidy for the upcoming fiscal year so we have some work to do,” the superintendent said. In the current budget, the SAD 46 state subsidy figure totals a little more than $10,950,000.
Jordan said the budget committee is set to meet in the Ridge View Community School cafeteria at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, March 10, 17 and 24, with more presentations from district officials scheduled for these nights. “The budget committee is going to be very busy this month,” he said.
Board member Elaine Thomas reported that the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative budget would remain flat for SAD 46 in 2021-22. Currently the district contributes $68,185 toward the approximate $412,000 that is proportionally shared among member school districts.
In other business, Jordan said he is scheduled to meet with area legislators on the proposed grade 9-16 comprehensive school. “Hopefully we will continue to get their support as they learn more about the project,” he said.
Currently a local application sits atop the state funding list which if approved by the Maine Department of Education would be used to build a $100 million regional institution with state funds to offer a number of academic and vocational programs.
There are numerous steps still to go in the project, including formal votes by residents of the individual districts on joining. The application member school districts are SAD 46, SAD 4 of Guilford and the Milo-based SAD 41 with the Tri-County Technical Center in Dexter being involved as could be the Greenville and Jackman schools via distance learning agreements.
“Graduation planning is taking place as we speak,” Dexter Regional High School Stephen Bell said. “It’s going to be similar to last year.”
In 2020 the school held a drive-in graduation with a large screen set up on the football field. Bell said the state has released new guidelines for gatherings such as these and rules and protocols will likely evolve between now and June.