NEW GLOUCESTER — Regional School Unit 15 Superintendent Bruce Beasley gave selectmen an overview of 2015-16 budget Monday evening.
In preparation for developing the spending plan, Beasley and several school board members met with five area legislators in January to air concerns about issues facing the district and towns.
The district has been challenged by snow removal costs and being overbudget for substitute teachers, he said.
Teachers have worked without a contract since September and negotiations are ongoing.
Also, charter school tuitions have been higher than anticipated, Beasley said, and out-of-district placements and additional Special Education needs have increased.
Other budget challenges include higher tuition to Portland Arts and Technology High School and uncertainty about the cost of health insurance premiums. Maine State Retirement System contributions are expected to increase 24 percent, Beasley said.
In addition, the district is working on the new proficiency-based diploma program, teacher/principal evaluations and the need for a school resource officer.
A budget meeting is set March 11 and workshops for March 18 and 21, and April 16. A district budget vote will take place May 21 and a budget validation referendum is slated for June 9.
In other business, the board held a public hearing and later approved releasing a public easement for a section of the Mayall Road abutting the property of Lawrence A. and Theresa M. Gillespie.
Voters at the May 4 annual town meeting will be asked to give final approval to the request.
Finally, the board voted 4-1 to table a request from the Maine Department of Transportation to allow MDOT contractors to transport construction equipment that exceeds legal weight limits over town roads.
George Macdougall, contracts and specifications engineer for the MDOT Bureau of Project Development, said in a letter that the agreement, if signed, acknowledges a municipality’s right to require a bond for the contractor to “guarantee suitable repair or payment for damages.”
The letter also states that municipalities cannot be forced to allow overweight vehicles on posted roads.
The board plans to contact Poland and Gray, who were included in the letter, to obtain more information.
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