MADISON — Faced with less revenue after one town voted to leave the school district, officials were faced with a difficult question as they developed the budget: Should they cut programs and staff or increase the amount each community pays?
In the end, the School Administrative District 59 board did a little of both.
Despite Starks seceding, the proposed budget for 2012-13 is down 2.3 percent, to a total of $10.89 million. It represents about $261,000 less than this school year’s $11.15 million budget.
But the decrease — made by cutting positions, moving the central office, ending home economics and eliminating some bus runs — was not enough to totally offset the loss of Starks, which contributes about 5.7 percent of the budget.
The remaining communities of Madison, Athens and Brighton Plantation are slated to each see a small increase in their contributions.
Madison will likely pay about $66,000, or 1.4 percent, more. Athens, $2,294, or 0.4 percent more; and Brighton, $836, or 0.7 percent, more.
“I think it’s a budget that should get the support of the community,” Superintendent Todd LeRoy said. District officials began budget discussions last July, and “I think we did pretty well.”
Residents in the district’s communities will have final say. The budget validation meeting is April 24, and the referendum will be May 1.
In order to make cuts, the district has not filled certain positions vacated by retirements, and it has eliminated a bus driver position, physical education instructor, foreign language instructor and an administrative assistant.
It considered replacing custodians and bus drivers with subcontractors but decided against it. It also briefly considered moving seventh and eighth graders at Athens Elementary School to Madison Area Junior High School but decided not to.
The proposed budget includes a contract to provide basic bus maintenance for neighboring School Administrative District 74, at a cost savings to both districts.
The school board also ended the alternative education program, which helps students obtain credits for classes they failed or need to earn. The federal money for the program is not available after this year, so stopping the program will not save money but will prevent the district from having to spend it.
Erin Rhoda — 612-2368
STARKS — Residents will gather at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss sending their children to Farmington-based Mt. Blue Regional School District.
The town has already voted to secede from School Administrative District 59, serving Madison, Athens and Brighton Plantation. Now it will vote whether to join with the school district to its west.
Before it holds the referendum vote from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, however, it must hold the public hearing, which will be at the Starks Community Center.
Absentee ballots are available, according to Town Clerk Jennifer Zweig Hebert.
The question will ask the following: “Do you favor approving the school reorganization plan prepared by the Regional School Unit No. 9 Reorganization Planning Committee for the school administrative unit known and identified as the Town of Starks SAU to join the regional school unit known and identified as Regional School Unit No. 9, with an effective date of July 1, 2012?”
The towns within the Mt. Blue district, also called Regional School Unit 9, will next vote whether to accept Starks. That district’s public hearing will be at 7 p.m., April 10, at the Mt. Blue Middle School cafeteria, with referendum voting April 24.
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