FARMINGTON — A proposed $29.38 million budget for RSU 9 represents a 1.7 percent increase, or $479,553, over the current fiscal year.

If the state allows a proposal to shift teacher retirement costs to school districts, the proposed spending plan would be $29.7 million, or 2.7 percent more than the current budget. That’s $793,801 more than the current $28.9 million budget, Superintendent Mike Cormier said Tuesday night.

“I’m a little bit optimistic the state will take retirement out of the school budget,” Cormier said.

The Budget Subcommittee’s established goals and priorities are to include maintaining teacher-pupil ratios within the schools; retaining current programming; addressing needs in the area of special education; and addressing an increase in fixed cost charges.

The proposal does retain current programming, he said. Only one staff member, a music teacher, will be affected negatively, he said. The district had created a full-time music position and shared that teacher with SAD 58 two days a week. SAD 58 paid for the two days. That district has decided not to continue that position due to budget issues, he said.

The proposed budget reflects that the teacher will continue to work three days per week in RSU 9, so there will be no change to instruction, but the music position will be funded at 60 percent in the budget, he said.

Although the district does not have the official figures from the state, the preliminary calculation of the adjusted state share to RSU 9 is $18.12 million, Cormier said. That is up $47,955, but does not factor in teacher retirement costs.

Other issues include the state enacting a curtailment that will withhold $135,250 from the the district’s 2013-14 and 2014-15 budgets, he said. Gov. Paul LePage also issued a curtailment of the same amount for the current budget in January.

In addition, the district’s carry-over balance is down $240,000 to about $202,000 in the proposed budget, he said.

The district’s fixed cost increases for health, building and fleet insurances, student tuition, negotiated salaries and related taxes, facility and grounds repair account for an increase of about $617,000. That is offset by a decrease of $358,860 in bonded debt payments, Cormier said.

Not included in the proposal but deemed needed by the Budget Subcommittee are a special education day treatment program; assistant principal at Mallett School in Farmington, two additional career and technical education programs — half-time pre-engineering and half-time composites — and a computer-aided design and drafting instructor.

“Mt. Blue Regional School District continues to be a highly effective and efficient school system,” he said. “We rank 89 out of 103 (kindergarten through 12th grade) public school systems in the state. Eighty-seven percent of school systems in the state spend more per student than Mt. Blue (district) based upon 2011-12 figures. The average cost for K-12 education in the state is $9,727 per pupil. The average cost in RSU 9 is $8,446 per pupil or $1,281 below state average.”

As of April 1 there were 2,297 students enrolled in the district.

The school board will begin budget deliberations at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the Forum at Mt. Blue High School.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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