RUMFORD — The Regional School Unit 10 board of directors discussed their fiscal year 2024-25 budget proposal including a lengthy list of reductions to the budget currently under consideration during their meeting at Mountain Valley High School on Monday.

During the discussion, Superintendent Deb Alden said that this most recent list of cuts to the proposed budget represents $2.62 million less in the overall budget proposal amount which currently is $34.97 million, however, the board of directors will continue to make further changes to their budget proposal during their meetings in upcoming months.

This year’s school budget was $33.26 million as approved by referendum voting in June last year.

Included in the long list of potential cuts throughout the district: at Mountain Valley High School the golf team and math team; the alpine/Nordic ski team at Mountain Valley Middle School; and at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, Jesses Gym, a fitness center in Buckfield, the JV boys and girls’ soccer teams and JV girls’ baseball, softball and basketball teams.

During the public comments time at the meeting, Mountain Valley High School senior Emmet Logsdon and freshman Max Spitzer, both members of the school’s golf team, spoke along with Logsdon’s mother, Meghan Logsdon, regarding their thoughts about the district’s plans to cut their team next year.

Emmet Logsdon told the board that playing golf as a team “means a lot to see (community members and other golfers) interact with us and see us as people who matter — in the sense of sports.” He added that although he is a senior, he wants to see the program continue, even though he will graduate this year.

Spitzer, a freshman, said that at the beginning of the year he didn’t know much about golf, but he is now “really good at it,” and he thinks the sport should continue next year.

Meghan Logsdon told the board that the golf team should not be cut since playing golf “is a lifelong skill” and something that people can continue to play for much of their lives, unlike football. She also questioned the school board’s reason for cutting the program, saying that it may be because there are few members on the team.

“I just think that there was no consideration being made for these children whatsoever,” Logsdon said.

Alden noted that most of the staff positions that will be cut this fall are positions that are currently not filled or that staff will have the chance to switch to other positions within the district.

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