AUGUSTA — School Superintendent James Anastasio is expected to present his proposed budget for next school year to the Board of Education on Monday.

It will be the board’s first budget workshop on next year’s school budget.

Kim Martin, chairwoman of the school board, said Anastasio will present an overview of the budget.

She said board members have copies of it, but she declined to discuss its contents because it hasn’t been presented publicly yet. Anastasio could not be reached Friday afternoon for comment or to provide information about the budget,.

Board members typically discuss the budget over several meetings, at least some of which will have public comment periods, before they approve their final version.

The city charter requires school officials to deliver the proposed school budget to the city by April 1. It then is combined with the city budget, and the combined budget often is changed by city councilors.

Monday’s budget workshop is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the council chamber at Augusta City Center.

The school board also plans to meet Wednesday for its regular business meeting, beginning at 7 p.m., also in the council chamber at Augusta City Center.

On Wednesday, board members are scheduled to hear a presentation about and consider voting on a proposal to replace all lights at school district buildings and other facilities with more-efficient LED lights.

Savings on energy bills projected to result from converting to the new lights are expected to more than pay for the cost of installing them.

Buying the lights would cost about $600,000, but a consultant’s projection anticipates the schools would receive a rebate of almost $300,000 from a state energy efficiency program. The remaining $300,000 would be borrowed, over nine years. The estimated annual payment on that financing would be about $39,000, with annual energy savings projected to be $44,000.

“The savings will pay for the cost, and it should be better lighting, for teachers and students,” Martin said.

Board members also are scheduled to vote on whether to create a “Future Search Committee.”

The proposed new committee would take the results of a two-day public session in November that drew about 90 community members for a discussion on what they want their schools to be, and turn them into goals and action items for the school system to pursue. Martin said the committee’s membership has not been selected but would include a mix of people who participated in the initial Future Search sessions.

Board members are also scheduled Wednesday to:

• Consider approving revisions to the superintendent evaluation form;

• Consider several policy additions, deletions and other updates;

• Hear a presentation on the writing workshop process; and

• Consider student group travel requests.

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @kedwardskj

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