RSU 68 school board approves $11.56M 2018-19 budget; District meeting will be May 29

DOVER-FOXCROFT — A proposed budget totaling $11,559,908 and 11 budget warrant articles making up the spending plan were approved by the RSU 68 school board during a May 8 meeting at the SeDoMoCha School. The directors also scheduled the annual district budget meeting for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29 with an information session right before at 6 p.m. in the school cafeteria/multipurpose room.

“There have been no changes to the budget,” Superintendent Stacy Shorey said, as at the previous month’s meeting the budget was also at the near $11.56 million figure. She has said the guiding principle of “creating a budget that’s best for students and also fiscally responsible” was constantly kept in mind when drafting the spending plan.

“In the budget there is a full-time librarian and also the head maintenance position,” Shorey said about two additions for the next academic year.

The approximate $11.56 million figure represents a $742,000 increase — 8.67 percent — from the current year’s total of $10,817,189.

More than half of the increase, around $400,000, is for one-time expenses including fixing the traffic pattern on the SeDoMoCha School campus, forming a literacy class and repairing the recently purchased former Head Start building a stone’s throw from the district property. Without these funds the budget is up by $322,840 or 2.98 percent.

The figure of the total spending plan approved at the May 29 district budget meeting will be moved to a referendum vote in the towns of Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson and Sebec on Tuesday, June 12. The school board formally set this date for next month during its May 8 meeting.