KINGFIELD — Selectmen on Monday quizzed the Regional School Unit 58 business manager and superintendent about proposed expenditures for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

Superintendent Erica Brouillet and Business Manager Luci Milewski said the budget warrant articles include the request for a prekindergarten program two days each week in Kingfield, Strong and Phillips.

The district surveyed the towns and received overwhelming support for starting the program in the coming year, Brouillet said. Voters would have to spend money this year to launch the program, but future revenues could easily offset costs to run the program.

“Preschool is a money-making program, as far as we can see,” Brouillet said.

The district would spend $192,000 to launch the program, including staffing, transportation, classroom and related equipment modifications. But after the first year, the district will start to receive Maine Department of Education subsidies, estimated at $75,000. Based on that estimate, the district would recoup the initial investment in a little under three years.

Brouillet said the income-based Head Start program in Phillips would be expanded to include all youngsters.

On the warrant this year is an article to fund a part-time preschool in each of the three elementary schools. These programs would serve 4-year-olds who reside in the district and in the towns and unorganized territories it serves.

“The students will enter our school system ready to learn as kindergarten students,” Brouillet said.

She said that well-documented research shows that students who start with preschool education are more successful students throughout their academic years.

Milewski said there is a difference between state subsidies and revenue from tuition from students who are not part of the district.

Local business owner John Goldfrank asked why tuition amounts have declined over the past few years.

“When our expenditures go down, so does the amount we can bill for tuition,” Milewski said.

Revenues from the state, she said, are based on factors that include each of the four towns’ annual property valuations.

Milewski said tuition rates have gone down because of overall enrollment and because of cost cuts in the district. State tuition reimbursement is based on those year-to-year changes in the district.

The school board has made a number of cuts that bring this year’s budget as low as possible without cutting programs for students, Milewski.

“We cut a bus from the budget, and that was $97,000,” Milewski said. “Our health insurance rates came in almost 2.2 percent lower than last year, and that was $128,000.”

The board also cut $16,500 in electrical costs.

The RSU 58 board will sign the warrant at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at Mt. Abram High School.

The district budget meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at the high school.

The budget validation referendum in Kingfield, Avon, Phillips and Strong is June 9.

Milewski and Brouillet asked voters to visit the district’s website at www.msad58.org and to attend the district budget meeting to determine the final figures that will go to voters at the polls June 9.

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