FARMINGTON — Interim Superintendent Monique Poulin presented RSU 9’s proposed $38.9 million budget to the community during a public hearing Tuesday night, May 25.

Poulin and other RSU 9 officials explained the 2021-22 spending plan on which residents are expected to vote June 8.

Due to social-distancing concerns, the public hearing took the place of the budget meeting, at which community members would normally gather to vote on the articles in person.

Although the overall budget is set at $38.9 million, with an additional $477,406 for adult education, it will cost taxpayers across the 10 towns in the district $13.7 million, a $397,300 increase, or 2.99%, to current spending.

Poulin said the increase is attributable, in part, to overall state aid being reduced this year, and the district has “had to make up some of the difference with our assessments to local communities.”

The cost to taxpayers will only increase by 0.8% and 2.2% in towns like Wilton and Vienna, respectively. However, Starks will see an increase of 6.6% and Temple will see an increase of 6.1%, though their shares are lower than towns like Farmington which provides a third of the taxpayer contribution.

The percentage a town contributes to the school budget is based on town valuations determined by the state, Poulin said.

At a previous meeting, Poulin said some of the goals of this year’s budget were to address the health and safety of the RSU 9 community, safely increase on-site learning and bolster staff support and retention through competitive wages.

Poulin also presented other articles on the RSU 9 budget warrant: Article 3 would authorize the school board “to use all or part of the additional state subsidy to increase expenditures for school purposes … and/or decrease the local cost share expectations” if “RSU receives more state education subsidy than the amount included in its budget.”

This article is especially relevant this year because Gov. Janet Mills has proposed an increase of the state’s share of public school funding to 55% of essential service costs in the state budget. Poulin reported the district could receive a “potential increase of $800,000” in state funding due to this change.

Article 4 would authorize the school board to “transfer amounts exceeding 5% of the total appropriation for any cost center to another cost center … provided that transfers shall not be permitted to increase the authorized total school budget.”

Poulin said that approval of this article is important for “any unusual circumstances that arrive” such as the COVID-19 pandemic or an unexpected increase in special education costs.

She also said that this article would be important as teacher-contract negotiations have not yet been finalized.

While the hearing was intended for public comment and questions alongside the presentation, no one spoke.

It was business as usual for the RSU 9 board of directors during its biweekly meeting that followed the budget hearing.

The board approved new hires to replace some of the 20 staff members across the district who are retiring this year.

The board also voted to pass a change in graduation requirements on half-credit courses that will make way for more diverse history courses at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Thanks to this change, MBHS students can expect course offerings such as Indigenous studies, African-American studies, America at war, protests, activism and U.S. history, Maine history and culinary anthropology. Whether or not a course is taught will depend on how many students enroll.

Poulin also announced during the superintendent’s report that the district received approval on the ESSER II grant. The COVID-19 emergency relief grant will bring $2.4 million into the district to address student-support and staff-support needs, among other things.

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