RUMFORD — While no vote has been taken yet by the RSU 10 school board, cuts on the proposed 2025-2026 budget have whittled the increase to 6.8%, a figure presented by Business Manager Leah Kaulback at the March 31 workshop at Mountain Valley High School.

The goal when the board began making cuts was for an 8% increase.

After a pair of workshops and an administrative team meeting, Supt. Deb Alden said the school board has meetings on April 14 and April 28 before the full vote has to be taken by the board.

At 6.8%, the proposed budget increase for member towns would be:
Buckfield, 10.2%; Hanover, 7.69%; Hartford, 9%; Mexico, 8.17%; Roxbury, 7.27%; Rumford, 4.4%; Sumner, 10.36%.

Alden offered to again be the special ed director for the next school year.

“I’m certified to be a special ed director and I was special ed director along with being superintendent this year. I didn’t ask for any more money. I think I’ve done an okay job. That said, it hasn’t been an easy year because we had to close a building and all the things that came with that. But I do realize that that has to do with whether the board wants that to happen or not.”

In a presentation to the board, the administrative team presented a slide show about the special education program. In closing, they wrote, “We all recognize and appreciate the unique opportunity we have to benefit from working with three special education administrators during the transition to MVCS (Mountain Valley Community School). This opportunity is rare because our superintendent has maintained her certificate as a special education director and has years of valuable experience. This experience allows the assistant directors to work more closely with schools, staff and most importantly, student/families. We feel this model has built in layers of support for everyone and best meets the needs of our disabled students.”

Addressing the statement that doing this would go against Alden’s contract, Alden said the statute talks about if you have a fulltime superintendent, they can’t do another job. “What they mean is, they cannot go out and be a superintendent in a neighboring district.”

Alden said, “I’m not asking for a board vote right now, as Leah (Kaulback) had some other cuts to go through, and then show you where we land, and then if what this cut would look like if you did that, too.”

After the March 28th administrative team meeting, $144,600 in cuts were proposed, lowering the proposed budget increase to 7.5%.

Kaulback said an additional $99,000 cut to special education would bring the budget increase down to 6.8%.

Alden asked how much more to get Sumner and Buckfield under a 10% increase?

Kaulback responded, “Keeping that special ed cut, there would need to be another $54,100 to get Buckfield and Sumner under a 10% increase.”

Alden noted that this is a workshop and they are not planning on voting on the budget at this time.

Board Chair Greg Buccina said, “We’re here to try to do the best we can for our towns…I like the 6.8 (percent). I think it’s an average to what other districts are going to be in that range. We’re here to save money, but we need to run schools, too. They cost money and they’re not getting any cheaper. People cost money.”

Vice Chair Chad Culleton said, “There’s going to be plenty of people who have an issue with the budget. As it is or if we cut more, I think where it’s at right now is a decent place to bring to voters and let them decide. And if we need to make more cuts from their decision…we’re already scraping the barrel here.”