DIXFIELD – Directors from SAD 21’s Consolidated School Board stopped Monday night’s meeting halfway through the agenda to conduct an informational meeting on the proposed 2005-06 budget. Excluding directors and SAD 21 staff, less than 10 people were on hand to hear Superintendent Thomas Ward explain the $9,256,000 budget.
He also read the 10-article warrant that goes before Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru voters at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, in the Student Community Center at Dirigo High School in Dixfield.
As of July 1, the four towns are to operate under one school board and one combined budget.
In 2004-05, Peru School had a School Committee, while SAD 21 had two: a regular board and a consolidated board with representatives added from Peru, which merged with the district last spring.
Ward said that the combined SAD 21 budget proposed for 2005-06 is 0.27 percent higher ($38,455) than the SAD 21 and Peru budgets for 2004-05.
But Carthage Selectman Steve Brown said that the actual percentage increase was more than 1 percent. He argued that directors had twice included what Peru paid as tuition for their secondary school students.
Ward disagreed, although, he admitted that he wasn’t exactly sure what Brown was saying. Both agreed to continue the discussion after the meeting.
Voters will be asked to approve:
• The Region 9 School of Applied Technology budget of $1,129,968 (local assessment is $347,138).
• The Region 9 Learning Center budget for adult and community education of $232,776 (local assessment is $36,516).
• Appropriating $7,200,869 and raising $1,895,257 as the district’s total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act.
• Raising and appropriating $32,965 for annual payments on non-state-funded debt service.
• Raising and appropriating $1,434,549.41 in additional local funds to cover the $989,238.08 shortfall of the Essential Programs and Services Funding model, since it is only funded at 84 percent. This warrant article must be voted on by secret ballot.
• Authorizing SAD 21 directors to spend $9,256,000 for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006.
• Authorizing directors to take out a loan of up to $70,000 to buy a new school bus.
• Authorizing directors to take out a loan of up to $50,000 to buy laptop computers for sophomores.
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