MEXICO – Residents of the Region 9 School of Applied Technology region have a chance Tuesday night to act on the operating budgets for 2004-05 for the secondary vocational program and on the adult and community education program.
The vote, in a town meeting-style format, takes place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, at the River Road School.
Voters will be asked whether to pass a $1,053,444 budget, up about 5 percent from the current year’s budget. They will also be asked to act on a $213,354 adult and community education budget, also up about 5 percent from this year.
Region 9 Director Deborah Guimont said higher costs for health insurance and fuel are major factors in the increase, along with slightly higher salary hikes for the region’s instructors and support staff. Region 9 teachers receive salaries based on the average of salaries paid to the region’s three sending districts.
If passed as proposed, SAD 21 would pay $246,234; SAD 43, $449,690; SAD 44, $229,699; Gilead, $5,546; Hanover, $13,506; Peru, $82,266; and Upton, $103.
Similar reasons account for the increase in the adult and community education budget. If passed as proposed, SAD 21 would pay $11,956; SAD 43, $53,484; SAD 44, $11,879; Hanover, $473; Gilead, $292; Peru, $4,089; Upton, $115.
“I think this is a very fair budget, a really steady budget despite an enrollment that keeps growing,” said Guimont.
The region currently serves 135 full-time vocational students plus another dozen or so truck driving students, along with hundreds of adults in a variety of credit, non-credit and refresher programs.
During the board meeting that follows the vote, Guimont said members will act on using about $6,500 in carry over money to help pay the costs of accreditation work. The region is working toward getting its first-ever state accreditation as a vocational school. A team from the state will review the process and procedures of that goal sometime next year.
Guimont will update the board on a loan application that would pay for installation of an elevator and other projects at the school.
The board will also decide whether to award the school’s insurance bid to Maine School Management and appoint members to various subcommittees.
Comments are no longer available on this story