[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6121888,"mediaKeyId","2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d","parentId",2698654,"title","Business manager outlines cost centers 6—1010, East Auburn ventilation and storage building requests for FY26 CIP bond","audioSeconds",1063,"startMs",2057000,"endMs",3120000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d&start=2057&end=3120","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d/thumbnail_2057000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6121888/Maine/Business-manager-outlines-cost-centers-61010-East-Auburn-ventilation-and-storage-building-requests-for-FY26-CIP-bond","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6121888-fc4834f10726a8cdf43d81d45785f26b/orig.mp4?Expires=1776649197&Signature=GzIwaRoGLwFWw5KD-NhPuI62ANrJRSDvv5Wqz78oSoBERVwMaby13YgOz1DiUBvo54y~HdBQHQ2cQuddxh-JUobJ~aZyaioRWPkdRqShlrZurZ6ATOdbNXHu81~W46axyV8QxR21u7Sss4Dx-v2-ClfF6MxUc05YrmYkxkW71PEarpONi5yNgwd9prZgCsMSBinSXDN~xa3RAZAYkO8rIIhBG~N1beCYSygathnf7-h14DG1pUcMrnCim6I2bPWkcsPXo7GrGoTrojcbvz1prLEJGWBmsmTCxNKF0K6mQBI0Y00KnFYx4T1qq0aVbXDbFWwoWHzxO3tqWEuDPR65zQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Auburn Public Schools","date","2025-03-18T01:18:37Z","article","Amanda Kuchar, business manager for Auburn Public Schools, presented cost centers 6 through 10 during the March 19, 2025 school committee meeting, describing system administration, school administration, transportation, facilities maintenance and debt service elements of the proposed FY26 operating budget.

Kuchar said the district budgeted a 3% increase for employees not covered by collective bargaining and that the large one-time expense for a major software transition (about $187,000) is mostly behind the district; next year's figures therefore show a decrease in that cost center. She explained cost-center increases driven by salary, health-insurance and retirement costs in building-administration budgets.

On transportation (cost center 8), Kuchar said the district budgeted for a new bus-routing app (BusRide) intended to generate more efficient bus runs and offer parents an app to see bus arrival times. She said the state previously subsidized specific routing software (Transfinder) but no longer contracts with a single vendor; the Department of Education will reimburse districts directly through the ED279 subsidy line in some cases. Kuchar said the district is short a few bus drivers (seven openings originally; four in training at the time of the meeting) and budgeted for the positions and runs the director expects to need. She also confirmed the district employs a full-time bus mechanic and stores buses at a central facility on Industry Avenue.

Kuchar described cost center 9'the city MOU for facilities and a debt-service component'and said the MOU increase reflects shared salaries and benefits for city employees who provide maintenance services to the district, including a facilities operations coordinator now assigned 50% to the school department. She said overall debt service in the cost center is down roughly $111,000 due to amortization of prior bonds.

Kuchar previewed two capital-improvement projects proposed for an FY26 capital bond: (1) a ventilation upgrade at East Auburn Community School (previously considered for an SRRF loan but ineligible under new state rules) and (2) a cold-storage building to house field-maintenance equipment at Edward Little High School. She displayed subcontractor photos showing existing ductwork at East Auburn and said the project would reroute and raise ductwork to improve airflow, address potential basement upgrades and repair a flat rooftop area to prevent leaks. Kuchar said the ventilation work could not begin for the 2025'26 school year and, if funded, would occur in summer 2026. She said the storage-building request is intended to house a recently purchased tractor and other equipment on the high-school campus to reduce response times for field maintenance and snow removal.

Kuchar also reviewed debt-service schedules and explained the ED279 state subsidy in general terms: it is the state contribution the Department of Education provides to the district, based on factors such as student counts and program needs; local-share debt items (for example, some added features of a project) remain the taxpayers'responsibility. She said the Park Avenue bond will be paid off in FY26, reducing future debt-service costs.

Ending: The committee asked clarifying questions and scheduled further revenue discussion for a later meeting; later in the agenda the committee voted to approve updated FY21 CIP bond budgets to fund two small projects (Park Avenue slide replacement and elementary classroom furniture) using remaining unallocated FY21 bond funds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Auburn, Maine, School Committee Meeting, March 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Amanda Kuchar, business manager for Auburn Public Schools, reviewed cost centers 6\u00011010, previewed two FY26 capital-improvement requests (East Auburn ventilation and a high-school storage building), and explained transportation and MOU changes at the March 19 school committee meeting.","taxTitle","Auburn Public Schools, School Districts, Maine","taxId",66949,"location","Maine","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6121893,"Auburn School Committee reviews athletics budget, discusses wrestling, unified basketball and storage needs",1552,304000,1856000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d&start=304&end=1856","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d/thumbnail_304000.jpg","/articles/6121893/Maine/Auburn-School-Committee-reviews-athletics-budget-discusses-wrestling-unified-basketball-and-storage-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6121893-8055e9b32bbc78aa800bb495ef39780c/orig.mp4?Expires=1776649197&Signature=J1fGqncw3egJ0hA4m-zB~MCfkDqzUpO-mqAD1oXJMY~75MHD~6gI6dxubNMV-nO0uxPxDg8UrelPdnbXHl-eZ8TtT60BKj8q50MjH6EdXnO8iWri1DaHKSJa4m9QbVmYaHqoVlFFUCpWX25c9kb~BD9CYg9J6LrKW6LZ76tn1Yfz4altnmrNOTvWU29HcscZclFUziHnx9eOaKEwzdGvL-bCJfbqHoH1JUE9FktqU2zXbSzvEUSY~kP8ORrnzb0rs1An4LDgSD8GgPsJ4c9U0VBznNoahA0tTcZPatdb6YRZ-Ph-RR4Kbmmnt5oFZHlUve9UZSGjRFgI5ZVLzKGQhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Todd Simpson, staff member, presented the Auburn School Department's athletics budget as part of the FY26 operating-budget review on March 19, 2025, focusing on stipends, officials, rental fees and equipment needs across high-school programs.

The presentation opened with a seasonal update: \"They completed the season undefeated,\" Simpson said of the unified basketball team. He then reviewed per-sport cost-per-participant figures and noted the budget assumes a 3% stipend increase in anticipation of a contract settlement.

Simpson said the budget includes officials and scorekeeper fees required by the Maine Principals' Association for varsity and junior-varsity competition, expenses for scheduling and registration software (formerly FamilyID, now Arbiter), and expected incidentals such as porta-potties and police coverage for larger events. He told the committee the district is continuing efforts to secure an athletic trainer and that the projected trainer budget figure is a \"best guess\" developed with business manager Amanda Kuchar.

Committee members pressed Simpson for clarification on several points. He confirmed the repair-and-maintenance line should read $5,500 (not $55,000 as displayed on one slide). He said the varsity wrestling program is at the end of a two-year self-funded probationary period and that the FY26 budget includes roughly $1,600 to cover officials, timers and scoreboard operators for about three home matches because many operations are now handled by the Auburn Wrestling Club. Simpson said he and district leadership expect the policy committee to review the program's policy language and evaluation timeline so the budget cycle aligns with the program's review.

On shared teams and cost-splitting, Simpson said the district had negotiated cost savings through partnerships: Lewiston covered the varsity swim stipend this year while Auburn covered the assistant stipends; MSAD 52 (Leavitt area) provided transportation to away swim meets; and Poland and Saint Dom's covered swim officials. He described cooperative arrangements as an important factor in controlling costs for sports such as hockey and swimming.

Adam Platt, city council representative, questioned arena-ice rates and whether Auburn is getting a market-rate agreement for ice time. Simpson said he believes the Norway Savings Bank arena rates are competitive in the area.

The committee and Simpson discussed participation trends and recruiting. Simpson and other speakers noted statewide declines in some girls' participation and described planned outreach such as guest speakers and feeder programs to increase female participation in athletics. Simpson pointed to recent new programs (for example, varsity volleyball) and the reopening of the high-school tennis courts as opportunities to grow participation.

Several board members raised storage and equipment maintenance concerns for the new and upgraded athletic facilities. Simpson and Kuchar said storage remains constrained at the high-school complex and that the district is discussing a storage building and other seasonal storage solutions with maintenance and public-works staff; they flagged pole-vault and high-jump landing mats as expensive items that require dry, secure storage.

The presentation closed with committee questions about booster support and the role of volunteer groups. Simpson praised the Edward Little grandstand/booster organization for providing materials, scholarships and event staffing and described boosters as an important community partner.

Ending: The presentation was informational; no committee vote on the athletics budget portion was recorded at the March 19 meeting. The full FY26 operating budget review continued with subsequent cost-center presentations.","At its March 19 meeting the Auburn School Committee heard a presentation on the Auburn School Department's FY26 athletics budget covering stipends, officials, facility rentals, shared programs with neighboring districts, the end of a self-funded wrestling probationary period and ongoing storage concerns for equipment.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6121883,"Votes at a glance: committee approves consent agenda and updates to FY21 CIP bond allocations",3530,272000,3802000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d&start=272&end=3802","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2698654-97275c572f9854ac69d1f5a427acc76d/thumbnail_272000.jpg","/articles/6121883/Maine/Votes-at-a-glance-committee-approves-consent-agenda-and-updates-to-FY21-CIP-bond-allocations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6121883-a525ed589a48c1b0a71e0305488c2370/orig.mp4?Expires=1776649197&Signature=JlXRLKE7ZSFJp45wL5ta~a6HttTn7G2rvGbuQ573QWi76BMz~gy~-KhIAS-jS2w0xrs~mLmEYXg6hbhuyc-zChvi0t3iVQiwNyQFklKIb-SyKY4CH8FaLettCnmrvK3XC3p-fbONbSPPQHV72i-dcIjr2B~6t38QZ0w82q31WfxsLi5~ctzDutOhHNXQrWbgJvuC8oh1zRJdOY-COOsWxxC7DZW9YbDkBhm0qz-ikRF39-WoQrqRsNZW5ADYYSPGyEjbHYa~9HfVsTrHJSLwn8YbJSU3A2u2eAWIDUHPT~Q8zS14dK-u8svvRJZFIdASDkybgbRGf1OLtBCLj9A8hw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the March 19, 2025 meeting the Auburn School Committee recorded two formal motions and carried both.

The committee first approved the consent agenda, which included adoption of the meeting agenda and approval of the minutes from the March 12, 2025 meeting. The motion was moved (mover not explicitly identified in the transcript) and seconded by Pam Quinn; the chair called for the ayes and stated, \"Motion carries.\" No roll-call vote or tally was recorded in the transcript.

Later in new business the committee considered an update to the FY21 CIP bond budget to add two projects: Park Avenue slide replacement and elementary classroom furniture. The committee motioned to approve the updated budgets for the FY21 CIP bond to include the Park Avenue slide replacement and elementary classroom furniture. The motion was moved by \"Pam\" (speaker identified in the transcript only by first name) and seconded by \"Pat\" (first-name reference only in the transcript). The chair called the vote and announced, \"Motion carries.\" The transcript does not record a roll-call tally for that vote.

The Park Avenue slide replacement was described in the meeting as an item previously missed from a playground upgrades list; the slides had been blocked with plywood for safety and the estimate given in the presentation was approximately $18,000. Elementary classroom furniture requests were described as principal requests with the district purchasing some extra items so future needs can be addressed without tapping the operating budget; the presenter spoke of an estimate in the \"thirty-something thousand\" range but the exact figure in the transcript was unclear and should be confirmed.

Ending: Both motions carried at the March 19 meeting. Detailed line-item allocations and formal roll-call tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript; staff indicated the FY21 bond remaining balance would be used to fund the two projects.","The Auburn School Committee approved the consent agenda (agenda and minutes) and voted to update the FY21 CIP bond budget to add two projects (Park Avenue slide replacement and elementary classroom furniture) using unallocated FY21 bond funds.","actionData","errors"]

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Business manager outlines cost centers 6—1010, East Auburn ventilation and storage building requests for FY26 CIP bond

Auburn School Committee reviews athletics budget, discusses wrestling, unified basketball and storage needs

Votes at a glance: committee approves consent agenda and updates to FY21 CIP bond allocations