Voters verify school budgets

TimesRecord.com, June 11, 2008

BRUNSWICK — Voters in the Mid-coast region validated school budgets on Tuesday, many of them facing such decisions for the first time under recent school consolidation legislation.

In Brunswick, voters greenlighted a $33.6 million school budget by a vote of 2,618 to 1,061, according to unofficial election results.

Some town officials ex-pressed concern about Tuesday's two local referendum questions because each asked voters to approve a multimillion-dollar school proposal. The first sought approval for the district operating budget, and the second was a $28.5 million bond for a new elementary school.

But voters approved both questions, casting 400 more votes in favor of the school budget than they cast to approve the school project.

Freeport voters also faced two school funding referenda, overwhelmingly approving both the budget validation vote and a bond for school roof repair.

By a vote of 1,023 to 408, voters validated the $14,970,673 school budget approved by town councilors on May 31 as part of a $25.1 combined town and school operating budget for 2008-09.

Voters in the five towns comprising RSU 1 overwhelmingly approved for the second time an inaugural total budget of $25.2 million. Votes in the towns of Arrowsic, Bath, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich broke down as follows: Arrowsic, 129-31; Bath, 837-331; Phippsburg, 300-101; West Bath, 310-161; and Woolwich, 369-196.

The $25.2 million budget includes a local contribution of $16.3 million to be derived from taxes, a 4.62 percent increase over this year's budget before consolidation. The budget represents an increase for all the towns, ranging from a 3.67 percent increase for Bath, to a just under a 10 percent increase for Phippsburg.

RSU 1 Superintendent William Shuttleworth wrote in a summary handed out at the public meeting June 2 that the new school district was hit by a reduction of state subsidy totaling more than $1 million. To make up for that loss, the school board cut three teaching positions, one assistant principal and eight educational technicians.

The budget also reflects a savings of $300,000 by consolidating and reducing the cost of the superintendent's office.

Educationally, the new district will have a seamless curriculum for all students, two foreign languages in every school, a more focused delivery of special education services and a small increase in the number of after school programs, according to Shuttleworth.

Charles Durfee, chairman of the Lower Kennebec River Regional School Unit, the official name of the district, said this morning that he was pleased at the strong showing of support.

"I was glad to see the confusing language of the ballot failed to turn heads around," he said.

RSU 1 was created by its own legislation separate from the legislation mandating school consolidation across the state.

Voters in the four towns that make up School Administrative District 75 approved a $35,967,562 budget Tuesday with a "yes" vote at the polls. The budget passed 2,395-859, with towns voting as follows: Bowdoin, 242-103; Bowdoinham, 377-131; Harpswell, 756-252; and Topsham, 1,020-373.

The $35,967,562 budget is a 1.25 percent decrease from the 2007-08 budget. Local spending is expected to increase 2.08 percent, including Bowdoin by 2.13 percent; Bowdoinham by 9.73 percent; and Harpswell by 2.95 percent. Topsham's local share will decrease by 0.83 percent. The budget also includes several position cuts.

"We're just really pleased that we can move forward into the next year with a budget that's been approved by the voters," Superintendent J. Michael Wilhelm said of the outcome.

Business manager Peter Gray echoed Wilhelm, acknowledging that there's always that possibility that a budget could fail.

"I think we were cautiously optimistic," Gray said. After the district budget meeting Saturday, he said "there were certainly some things that we need to look at for next year's meeting," but that people believed school officials had done a good job working on the budget.

Richmond voters approved a $5,494,713 budget as adopted at the June 3 town meeting, which is a 2.4 percent increase. The budget passed with 490 yes votes and 120 no votes. The school committee, like other school systems this year, faced significant losses in state revenue and cost increases, including heating fuel and diesel increases.

Pownal voters ratified their $2.2 million budget for Pownal Elementary School by a vote of 220 to 52.