FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 is projected to receive an increase of $66,891 from the state under its 2016-17 funding formula.
The Essential Programs and Services funding model is the way the state determines the minimum aid schools need to provide an education to students, Superintendent Tom Ward said Tuesday.
He reviewed the state’s preliminary funding information Tuesday night during a budget workshop with the school board.
As it stands, it is anticipated that the state will contribute $18.55 million in General Purpose Aid to Education to the district, if taxpayers in the 10 towns contribute $10.5 million as a match.
For the district to receive the state’s nearly 64 percent in state subsidy, the towns have to contribute about 36 percent, Ward said.
The principal on the district’s debt service is down. Between the state funding increase and the reduced debt principal, it means about $140,000 to $150,000 more in funding, he said.
Any amount over the state’s EPS formula will have to be paid for by local taxes.
The board will have to decide whether it wants to maintain class sizes as they are and whether it wants to keep co-curricular activities in place, Ward said.
The board’s practice is to have smaller classes, especially in the lower grades, than what the state funds in its EPS formula.
In kindergarten, the maximum student-to-teacher ratio in RSU 9 is 18-1, said Tracy Williams, principal of Mallett School in Farmington.
If a class size goes over that number, an education technician is added, Ward said.
In some cases in the past, when student numbers went too high, a new class was formed and a teacher was added.
Two bills before the Maine Legislature would add money to General Purpose Aid to Education. One is for $20 million and the other is for $23 million. That could also reduce the burden on local taxpayers, Ward said.
The goal in the 2016-17 budget is to have a smaller increase than in the two previous years, he said.
The budget is $32.04 million, which was about a 3.3 percent increase from the previous year. Voters rejected an initial proposal of $32.25 million that reflected a 3.9 percent increase.
The 2014-15 budget was $31 million and represented about a 4.3 percent increase from fiscal year 2013-14.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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