LEWISTON — Superintendent Bill Webster released a proposed school budget Monday that would increase spending but not property taxes.

The spending plan would boost the budget from the current $83 million to $86.5 million, a 4.2 percent increase. The 2019-20 budget begins July 1.

The $3.5 million increase would be covered by $1.5 million the school department has in savings (fund balance), plus additional funding for education from the state, although the state increase is less than expected, Webster said.

As proposed, the increase would cover higher costs for labor, programs, eight mandated special ed positions and four new positions, Webster said.

He outlined three budget options Monday and said his proposal is Option 2, which he described as a reasonable, “status quo” budget that would not increase property taxes, considering last year’s budget was a significant hike and boosted taxes.

“We did have a healthy increase last year,” Webster said.

The proposal maintains positions and programs added last year.

His budget would likely result in reduced summer programming because grant money that pays for those programs is shrinking. The budget would also mean updating technology for grades K-3 would be put off.

It would, however, add positions at the high school: A math teacher, an Arabic foreign language teacher, a guidance counselor, an English Language Learning assistant director and about eight special education positions, which are not optional under special ed laws.

The ELL assistant director is needed, Webster said, because “there’s too much work to do” for one administrator now covering eight schools, 50 to 60 staffers and 1,600 ELL students.

Webster said the budget he has recommended is “by and large status quo.”

“It’s not so much that I recommend Option 2,” he said, “but I think it’s an option that would likely be the first on the table for a lot of people given last year’s increase and concerns expressed about the sustainability This is a ‘catch your breath’ budget.”

Last year’s school spending for local property taxpayers increased by 5.3 percent because local taxpayers had to spend more to get all of the state money to which Lewiston was entitled.

The Option 1 budget Webster shared with School Committee members Monday night would require slightly less from taxpayers, but would mean $1 million in cuts in programs and eliminating some existing positions.

The Option 3 budget would add $414,000 in spending and increase property taxes slightly. For the $414,000 hike, the School Committee could choose from a priority list of needs, such as a teacher at Geiger Elementary; guidance counselors at the high school, middle school and McMahon Elementary School; a fourth-grade teacher at Montello Elementary to reduce class size; and various facility projects at the schools.

Gov. Janet Mills has increased statewide education spending, but Webster said the state used an inflation factor of 1.7 percent, while the tight labor market meant Lewiston’s labor costs rose by between 3.5 percent and 4 percent.

Additionally, Lewiston received $1 million less than expected from the state: $200,000 less for under-reported ELL students, $500,000 less because the Maine Department of Health and Human Services reported 500 fewer Lewiston families receiving assistance and $300,000 less because of fewer high-cost special ed students.

The first item, $200,000 less for under-reported ELL students, is an error made by the Lewiston School Department that Webster has asked the state to correct, he said.

From now until April 8, the School Committee will hold budget sessions to go over each part of the spending plan. On April 8, the School Committee is scheduled to vote on the budget, then present it to the City Council on April 16, a meeting that will include time for public comments.

A town hall-type budget information meeting for the public has been scheduled for May 2 at Farwell Elementary School.

Lewiston voters will have the final say during the local school budget referendum May 7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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