SALEM TOWNSHIP — SAD 58 board members have prepared a tentative schedule of budget sessions in case voters don’t pass their recommended spending plan next month.

At a recent meeting, directors adjusted their calendar to move the 2012-13 budget reviews and hearings toward a May 22 vote. The schedule includes a public hearing at 6:30 p. m. Thursday, April 12, at Mt. Abram High School.

The board may add another public hearing Tuesday, April 24. It plans to finalize the budget April 26. Directors will sign warrants May 3, in Phillips, and hold a budget hearing May 17 at Mt. Abram High School. Voters in five towns will go to the polls Tuesday, May 22.

“The reason I’m suggesting that (schedule) is if, for whatever reason, the budget does not pass, it gives you some time to use the month of June to resubmit your budget and still get it done before July 1,” Superintendent Brenda Stevens said. “I think that’s the most important thing, to get your budget done.”

July 1 is the start of the 2012-13 fiscal year.

SAD 58 directors also will decide if they want to turn over their Adult and Community Education program to Mt. Blue Regional School District as a cost-cutting measure.

“I am proposing next year that we would join SAD 9, and they would hire a program coordinator,” Stevens said.

If directors approve the option, RSU 9 Program Director Ray Therrien would be responsible for hiring and supervising staff and paying salaries and benefits. Therrien’s proposal for SAD 58 directors includes hiring a program coordinator for 12 hours per week and an instructor for adult basic education, high school diploma, and general education development instruction for 23 hours each week. SAD 58 would pay an estimated $37,280 for services, including salaries and benefits for staff, administration, testing, marketing and advertising.

Kirsten Brown Burbank, director of Adult and Community Education, presented directors with her budget request of $54,449 for the coming year. The district is part of the College Initiative collaboration with Central Maine Community College and Franklin County Community College Network. These partnerships generate an in-kind value of approximately $14,696 each year for area youth and adults, she said.

Students receive scholarships, and the rural and economically disadvantaged district is an excellent candidate for grants. Burbank said she was preparing to apply for a grant for up to $75,000 from the MELMAC Education Foundation.

Last year, she received $16,000 from the same foundation.

“We will be notified in June if we are a recipient,” she said. “We anticipate funds to range between $56,000 and $76,000 in this new four-year grant program.”

Burbank sends youth and adults who want to complete their GED or high school diplomas to the Mt. Blue program, because SAD 58 does not offer diploma courses. Mt. Abram High School is a Central Maine Community College satellite site, and Burbank said the number of callers seeking help with college transition has been growing rapidly.

“Higher education is the biggest piece I’m working on now,” she said. “On any given day, I have 30 resumes on my desk.”

Since 2006, she has registered approximately 200 students for college courses.

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