Hutson Hayward is a Bowdoinham representative and vice chair of the MSAD 75 school board and chair of the finance committee. Evan Howard is the business manager of MSAD 75, which includes the towns of Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell and Topsham.

The leaves are falling, football season is well underway and we finally have the timing down for the school bus — but in school districts across the state, plans are already beginning for the 2026-2027 school year.

Over the last several years, school budgets have been scrutinized much more closely by the public. But the process of how a school district creates a budget has remained stable. It’s an important, months-long process that includes public forums, hours of meetings with various school staff, reviewing data and crunching numbers before presenting a final budget proposal to the public.

It is an important process, and school boards are continually looking for opportunities to inform people on how the process works — as well as identify the important points where the public is asked for their thoughts and feedback.

At MSAD 75, the school board’s finance committee begins establishing goals in October. In November, we hold our first public budget forum. This is an important opportunity for community members to congregate to discuss what they feel are high priorities for MSAD 75 students, teachers and the overall community.

Once the November forum wraps up, the Finance Committee is in the “nitty-gritty” of budgeting. The official budget process starts in January, with near-weekly meetings ahead of the next three public forums in March.

Over the course of these months, the board deliberates budgeting goals, establishes a capital maintenance plan and meets with different district groups and services to hear their feedback.

In these meetings, the finance committee having conversations with different district administrators, representatives from community and adult education programs and town managers and select boards to go over initial budget plans. It is an opportunity for principals and
directors to tell the board what they did last year and what they need next year and allows the board to steer a clearer path with data-driven input.

At the end of the budget season, when the board adopts a budget at the public budget hearing in April, the budget then goes before voters with a two-step process: the district budget meeting and a referendum.

The May district budget meeting is required by law and is driven by voter attendance. It is here that people can voice their last remarks before the meeting attendees vote to approve the budget.

The resulting budget article then goes to the June referendum, where all voters can weigh in at their community polling places. In our district, and many across the state, there is an option every few years to vote to keep the referendum in place. This democratic process allows the community to vote on validating the district budget beyond attendance at the district budget meeting.

At MSAD 75, the school board has already identified some issues and goals for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Several of MSAD 75’s schools and buildings were built over 60 years ago, and it is time to invest money into maintaining the spaces in which students spend so much time.

Other goals include investing in solar panels to help offset taxpayer contributions; providing more in-house jobs instead of contracting; and continuing to convert school buses from diesel to gasoline, which benefits students’ health and fuel costs.

Setting a school budget is a massive undertaking. As we look at next year’s budget, we are weighing the best ways to provide a quality education for our students while being respectful of property tax increases. We are constantly working to balance these two important factors.

Throughout the year, we want to create opportunities for everyone’s voice to be heard. Every finance committee has time for public comment, and questions can always be sent in via email or phone call.

Whether you’re a parent, guardian or student, or just a taxpayer in your community — the school budget affects everyone, and we strongly encourage you to get involved in the process.